McKinley backs tough sanctions on Russia
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PARKERSBURG -- A West Virginia congressman Friday said he'll support the toughest sanctions against Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
Alienating Russia from the system connecting world banks and halting the nation's ability to sell gas and other natural resources threatens Putin's financial ability to wage war in Ukraine, said U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va.
"We should have already done that," said McKinley, who also said he wants to look forward to what can be done rather than dwell on what hasn't been done.
"I don't want to look in the rear view mirror," he said.
McKinley participated in a congressional briefing Thursday about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a war that started Thursday. He was in Parkersburg on Friday for usual meetings with business leaders.
A resolution will be prepared calling for the tougher sanctions on Putin, Russia and the oligarchs, but McKinley said he didn't know when. Congress returns on Monday.
Also uncertain are the specifics of the sanctions, he said. Besides the gas sanction, McKinley supports booting Russia out of the S.W.I.F.T. global banking payment system, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, based in Belgium.
McKinley expects the harsher sanctions will have support from Democrats and Republicans, but there is no support for American troops to be involved in the fighting in the Ukraine.
"It will fail," he said.
Ukraine is a democracy, but not a NATO-member nation. Putin is opposed to the former Soviet republic becoming part of the alliance created to check expansion of the USSR.
President Joe Biden announced sanctions Thursday after the invasion started. According to media reports, the United States, Great Britain and the European Union on Friday indicated additional sanctions will be heaped upon Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, including the European Union freezing Putin's assets.
The most severe of financial repercussions are needed to stop Putin's ability to wage war, McKinley said.
Consumers in West Virginia will feel an impact, too, through more inflation and prices for fuel, clothing and food, among others, he said.
"We're going to see a spike again," McKinley said.