Congresswoman Tenney, Bipartisan Group of Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Sanction Members of the Russian Duma

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) today joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues in introducing legislation to impose sanctions on members of the Russian Duma (legislature) who voted in favor of Russia’s illegal recognition of the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in southeastern Ukraine as independent states.

On Monday, in an act of political theater, Vladimir Putin, on the advice of oligarchs and government cronies, announced his intent to illegally recognize the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. This action represents a blatant violation of international law, the Minsk Accords, and most importantly, Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukraine's very existence is under an existential threat, and the United States, as well as our allies and partners from across the world, must stand up to the Kremlin's malfeasance.

“This legislation sends a clear signal to the Russian government that any individual who supports Vladimir Putin’s ambitions to further occupy the sovereign territory of Ukraine will face consequences and be the target of a robust US sanctions response. Doing so will ensure coordination with our European allies, who announced similar sanctions earlier this week. The United States stands for territorial sovereignty and strong borders. I am honored to join a bipartisan group to take meaningful action against Russia’s unprecedented and unprovoked aggression,” said Tenney.

Specifically, this legislation would authorize the President to impose sanctions on members of the Russian Duma who voted in favor of Russia’s illegal recognition of the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in southeastern Ukraine as independent states.

The full text of the legislation is available here.

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