Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as the Helsinki Commission, today expressed his concern that the Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s border could lead to war. He spoke at a commission briefing entitled “Defending Ukraine, Deterring Putin.”
In questioning expert witnesses, Co-Chairman Cohen said, “We certainly need to do what we can to protect Ukraine and let the Russians know we’re not going to accept their aggression and there will be sanctions…We’ve got to support Ukraine.” See that line of questioning here.
In a closing statement, Co-Chairman Cohen said:
“I’m very concerned about Ukraine. I’ve visited several times. I appreciate the spirit of freedom that you feel there. People got their freedom. They want to keep it…Leopards don’t change their spots and black bears don’t either…It’s hard to judge Putin. He’s very bright – a cagey KGB individual and you don’t know where he’s going to go.”
See that statement here.
Witnesses at today’s briefing were:
- Dr. Andrew Bowen, an analyst in Russian and European Affairs, Congressional Research Service;
- Dr. Maryna Vorotnyuk, an expert on Black Sea security and Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute;
- Katsiaryna Shmatsina, Belarusian analyst on Eurasian politics and security, Visiting Fellow, European Values Center for Security Policy in Prague;
- Robert Lee, an expert on Russian military capabilities, Ph.D. candidate, Kings College, London.
