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Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul released the following statement ahead of President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s video call tomorrow. While amassing troops and military equipment on Ukraine’s border, Putin has demanded the U.S. make assurances that NATO will not expand further eastward and that the alliance will limit its military activity near Russia’s border, specifically in Ukraine.

“I strongly urge President Biden not to make concessions at the expense of our strategic partner Ukraine in response to the Putin regime’s provocative military buildup. This would not only fail to deescalate tensions, it would also embolden Vladimir Putin and his fellow autocrats by demonstrating the United States will surrender in the face of saber-rattling. Particularly in the aftermath of the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Nord Stream 2 capitulation, U.S. credibility from Kyiv to Taipei cannot withstand another blow of this nature. Instead, President Biden must make absolutely clear the devastating economic and diplomatic consequences the Putin regime would face if it further invaded Ukraine. He also must direct additional security assistance, including lethal weapons, to Kyiv without delay.”

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