Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement today after submitting an amendment to the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to sanction Russia for its violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty:

“For years now, Vladimir Putin has blatantly disregarded Russia’s obligations under the landmark INF Treaty.  His recent deployment of banned nuclear-tipped missiles poses serious threats to U.S. national security interests.  And it’s just one more example of Russian aggression that undermines global stability.

“The Russians were not held accountable as they developed and tested these missiles. The U.S. cannot continue with this failed approach as Putin sends them into the field.  This amendment will impose sanctions on Russia for its violations of the INF Treaty, curb Russia’s ability to produce advanced conventional weapons, and target state sponsors of terrorism who buy them.”

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