Chairmen of Senate and House Armed Services Committees Issue Joint Statement on Actions to Pressure Russia into Peace Negotiations

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement:

"Ukraine has long agreed to President Trump's proposal to begin negotiations at the current line of control following an immediate ceasefire. Regrettably, Vladimir Putin's delay tactics and empty promises make clear he remains unwilling to end the bloodshed. Only coordinated, sustained pressure will convince the Kremlin that its maximalist aims and bid to control Ukraine are too costly.

We applaud President Trump and Secretary Bessent for today's announcement of new sanctions. The United States should work with our allies to intensify the pressure of those sanctions, including by ending all imports of Russian energy, using frozen Russian sovereign assets held in the United States and Europe for additional security assistance, and leveraging European funding to provide Tomahawk missiles alongside the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Germany should reinforce this effort by sending Taurus missiles too.

President Trump was right when he said this summer that to win, a nation must be able to go on offense. Equipping Ukraine with additional long-range systems and authorizing their use against key military targets in Russia would strengthen Ukraine's position at the negotiating table and advance President Trump's vision of a lasting peace."