WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including attacks on the capital of Kyiv:

“Vladimir Putin has single-handedly decided to end decades of peace among the nations of Europe on the basis of invented grievances and outright lies,” said Senator King. “His weakness of character will not be rewarded. Ukraine will stand strong, and the United States, our Allies, and our partners in the free world will stand with them to ensure that Russia feels the consequences of its invasion. This attack will not achieve Putin’s goal to seemingly reconstitute the Soviet Union; it will only create unnecessary human suffering. Let’s be clear: an unprovoked attack is not a defensive maneuver, armed soldiers invading a free, sovereign country are not ‘peacekeepers’, and not one of Russia’s missile strikes or cyberattacks will help Ukrainians. As we push to ensure that Russia pays a dire price for these heinous attacks, I’m praying for the people of Ukraine who are needlessly caught in the sights of a dictator’s delusions.”

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as a thoughtful voice on national security and foreign policy issues in the Senate. As the crisis in Ukraine unfolded, Senator King has joined a group of his colleagues to support maximum intelligence sharing with Ukrainian officials, and cosponsored a bipartisan resolution supporting the American partner in the face of Russian aggression. In addition to his committee work, Senator King serves on the Senate North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Observer Group, is Co-Chair of the U.S. Senate Arctic Caucus, and Co-Chaired the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.