Menendez: Sanctions Against Putin ‘Cannot Be the End’

Tuesday on MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson Reports, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) stated that the sanctions against Russia announced by President Joe Biden “cannot be the end of it” and called for the sanctioning of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, “so it’s a clear message to Putin, you’re not going to get it online anytime.”

Menendez said, “I think the president’s announcement is a good first tranche of sanctions, but it cannot be the end of it. I think the sanctions on these particular banks, VEB bank is one of the most substantial banks. It was on my list of banks in my legislation that I wanted to sanction. This is a bank that is definitely going to hurt the elites. It is a development bank. It’s a payment agent for [the] Russian government, so that’s a good one. The military bank is also where the military financing flows through. That’s a good one, too. Blocking sanctions are the most significant sanctions that you can render against a bank.”

He continued: “And of course, Nord Stream, I am very pleased to see the German government’s action. I actually think that we should join them by lifting our waivers that we have on sanctions and proceeding with those as well so it’s a clear message to Putin, you’re not going to get it online anytime.”

Remember when President Donald Trump projected enough strength that we didn’t need to bluster our way into foreign wars? Good times.