Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on today’s referendum in Crimea:

“The phony referendum in Crimea is a throwback to the Soviet era.  No vote occurring under military occupation deserves to be treated as legitimate.  This referendum is clearly unconstitutional.  Congress and the President must impose tough sanctions and other measures on those who have brought about this crisis. The Administration should be working overtime to help break Putin’s energy grip on Ukraine and eastern Europe.”      

Note:  On Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly passed H. Res. 499, authored by Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, which condemns the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty by Russian forces, endorsing Russian sanctions and calling on the U.S. to promote increased gas exports to reduce Vladimir Putin’s leverage.

The statement Chairman Royce issued yesterday, following Russia’s veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution on Ukraine, is available HERE.

 

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