WASHINGTON – As Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart met in Paris Wednesday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, Indiana Sen. Dan Coats introduced a resolution that calls for isolating and punishing Russia for its military moves in the Crimea.
“This is an effort to contribute new, meaningful ideas for President Obama to consider as a strong response to Russia’s military invasion of a neighbor,” Coats said in a statement.
Coats, a Republican, is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and served as U.S. ambassador to Germany under President George W. Bush.
The resolution calls for expelling Russia from the G-8, suspending operation of the Russia-NATO Council and expelling the Russian representatives, downgrading U.S. diplomatic representation in Russia and closing U.S. consulates, requiring Russia to close consulates in the U.S., asking the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to reconsider staging World Cup 2018 soccer matches in Russia and suspending Russian eligibility for seasonal work visas.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also is working on a resolution condemning Russia, The Hill reported.
Here is a video of Coats speaking about his resolution on the Senate floor.
