McCaul on Russian Troop Buildup Near Ukraine Border

Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul has released the following statement on reports Russia is building up its military presence near its border with Ukraine.

“I condemn the Putin regime’s destabilizing military buildup near Ukraine, and I urge the Biden Administration and our European allies to strongly reaffirm their unequivocal support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. This support must contain additional U.S. security assistance, including lethal weapons, as well as clearly articulated and serious penalties that Russia would incur for intensifying its aggression further.

“Moreover, as I’ve been warning for months, an operational Nord Stream 2 pipeline would embolden the Putin regime’s aggression against Kyiv because Russia would no longer require Ukraine’s gas transmission system to export gas to Western Europe. The Biden Administration must therefore lift its dangerous waivers on critical Nord Stream 2 sanctions now and work with the transatlantic community to prevent gas from ever flowing through the pipeline.”