Mass. congressmen weigh in on how to deal with Russia now that the invasion of Ukraine has begun

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey doubled down on his support for economic sanctions as a way to force Russia to seek peace on Sunday.

In an interview with WCVB-TV, Markey said that the impact of sanctions on Russia would worsen for the country over time, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian oligarchs, and Putin’s allies must be punished for the invasion of Ukraine.

“There is going to be enormous pain which is inflicted on the Russian economy, and on those who are close to Putin,” Markey said. “As each day, week, month go by, there is going to be a huge toll that is imposed upon Russia, and it will be something that will not go away.”

President Joe Biden has said he will not send troops to Ukraine, but has issued major economic sanctions on Russia and Putin himself.

These sanctions include limiting Russia’s Central Bank from accessing more than $600 billion in reserves, cutting key Russian banks from the network that connects financial institutions around the world, cutting Russian banks off from the U.S. financial system, and limiting access to imports of computer technology.

Like Biden, Markey said he believes that Putin’s goal is to recreate the former Soviet Union.

One way Markey believes countries could weaken Russia is to divest from fossil fuels and adopt green forms of energy, given Russia’s reliance on oil for fueling its economy.

“This Green New Deal revolution is ultimately the answer to defunding this Russian military business model,” he said.

On Saturday, Massachusetts 4th Congressional District Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, spoke to MSNBC about the use of sanctions against Russia.

“The sanctions are gonna be part of a multi-dimensional strategy to make this war a nightmare for Vladimir Putin,” he said.

Auchincloss said the U.S. and its allies would make fighting in Ukraine difficult for Russia by providing “lethal and non-lethal aide” to Ukrainian fighters.

“The Ukrainian people are fighting, and Vladimir Putin is gonna realize that war may be simple to start, but that they are very challenging to end,” he said.

Auchincloss said that Putin will soon realize that having military superiority over another country doesn’t mean you can create a stable political situation in that country.

He added that the U.S. can also help make Russia an inhospitable place for Putin by making sure the Russian people know that their quality of life is going to plummet as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Massachusetts 6th Congressional District Rep. Seth Moulton, another Marine veteran who served in Iraq as a Marine Corps infantry officer, also commented on where the U.S. should go next in dealing with Russia in an interview Sunday with CNN.

“The biggest question I’ve had all along is ‘What comes next?’ ‘Where does this go?’ and ‘Are we prepared for what happens if Ukraine falls?’ ‘Are we prepared to strengthen NATO to ensure that Putin stops here?'” he asked.

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