Tuberville Speaks on Russia’s Unjustified War and U.S. Response

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today on the U.S. Senate floor discussed the global impacts of Vladimir Putin’s unjustified war against Ukraine. Senator Tuberville highlighted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) joint effort to rebuke Putin and stressed the need for America to gain energy independence.  

Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, and the full video can be found here

“Putin’s terror is hard to watch, but it’s important we not look away. Amid it all, we’re seeing examples of heroism, hearing stories of strength.

“And all the while President Zelensky has stayed. He has not abandoned his country even though he knows Putin’s goal is to topple the Ukrainian government…He planted his feet and squared his shoulders for the fight, rallying his fellow countrymen to do the same. And Ukrainian citizens are following suit, showing true bravery in the face of madness.

“It’s clear Mr. Putin underestimated the Ukrainians’ will to fight. While Ukrainians are handing Russia a tough fight, we know there will be hard days ahead.

“Mr. Putin’s rationale for invading was the ‘demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine’ – arguing that if Ukraine joined NATO, the West would have an excuse to invade Russia. That is paranoia. That is delusion. That doesn’t sound like a strong leader, it sounds like a weakling. Putin was betting that NATO would fold and countries would turn against one another. But if anything, Putin’s bullying has strengthened NATO.

“As it currently stands, this is not a fight for American troops. But if a NATO country is threatened, we need to act. Facts could change, therefore polices have to change. Which is why we need to continue to impose harsh financial sanctions and project strength.

“Another step we must take is to regain energy independence. We import nearly 600,000 barrels of oil per day from Russia. The Keystone Pipeline would have provided us 800,000 barrels per day. Last week, ahead of the invasion, President Biden admitted, ‘defending freedom will have costs for us at home as well.‘”

“Gas prices began to soar long before Putin waged war in Ukraine, starting with the president’s first day in office when he blocked the Keystone Pipeline and undercut our nation’s energy independence. Russia ramped up aggression against Ukraine at the same time as the administration was cancelling 80 million acres of oil and gas leases. ‘Green’ policies here at home have pushed us to seek energy abroad, and our country is paying the price. President Biden has again admitted that we might need to dip into our oil reserves. But why not dig into them? This is no time to be a purist and think others can bail us out – the United States of America is a energy rich nation but we must have smart polices in place to use it. This is an economic and national security issue. You cannot have a strong economy without low-cost energy – and ridding ourselves of our reliance on Russian energy is a matter of national urgency.

“As our country prepares to hear from President Biden tonight on the state of our union, I urge the president to project a strong path forward: to double down on investments in our military and to put forth policies to ensure we regain energy independence. If the state of our union here at home is strong, it will only serve to strengthen our standing abroad.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.

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