A delegation of US senators in Kiev met with Zelensky and reacted to the threat of new Russian aggression against Ukraine.US senators warned Vladimir Putin against the biggest mistake in his career / photo REUTERS

United States senators have sternly warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will make the biggest mistake of his career if he re-invades Ukraine with his troops drawn to the borders.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, a delegation of US senators told reporters in Kiev after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Democratic Senator Jean Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) said a delegation of US senators arrived in Ukraine with strong support for its sovereignty.

“We also want to send a message to President Putin that he needs to understand that we are on the side of Ukraine, and if he threatens Ukraine’s sovereignty, we will hold him accountable,” Shahin said.

Republican Senator Rob Portman (D-Ohio) said that the American delegation at the meetings in Kiev asked representatives of the Ukrainian authorities that the United States could do more to support Ukraine in cooperation with allied countries and freedom champions around the world.US senators warned the Russian president against the biggest mistake of his career / UNIAN photo, Denis Pryadko

He assured that international partners can help Ukraine even more so that it is able to contain the “senseless and unnecessary Russian military buildup” at its borders.

At the same time, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) stressed that she co-sponsored a bill on new sanctions against Russia (the bill was proposed by a group of senators led by Republican Robert Menendez).

“Our message is that there will be consequences if he (Putin – Ed.) decides to violate the integrity of this democracy,” Klobuchar said.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker (D-Mississippi) stressed that Putin’s illegal actions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and other sovereign states are condemned around the world.

According to him, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, after the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine, condemned the Putin regime for violating documents that Russia signed when it became a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

In turn, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy (Connecticut) said that democracy in the United States will be stronger if democracy is strong in Ukraine.

“Our freedom in the United States is threatened when Ukrainian freedom is threatened. We are interconnected,” Murphy said.

READ ALSOIn Poland, spoke about the possible actions of NATO in the event of Russia’s invasion of UkraineHe added that Russia’s actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, as well as the actions that the Russian Federation plans to carry out today, are the most serious encroachment on the post-war order since the Second World War.US senators warned the President of the Russian Federation against the biggest mistake in his career / photo president.gov.ua

“We’ve come to send a bipartisan, unconditional message that the United States, Europe and Ukraine will make efforts to ensure that Russia suffers serious economic losses along with its security forces if it decides to carry out a traditional invasion of Ukraine,” Murphy said.

Republican Senator Kevin Kramer (D-North Dakota) expressed hope that Putin and Russia would desist from aggression.

Also, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) believes that “Putin made the biggest mistake of his career because he underestimated how bravely the Ukrainian people would fight him if he invaded.”

“And we will apply crushing economic sanctions, but more importantly, we will give the Ukrainian people the lethal weapons they need to protect their lives. Whether it’s Javelins or Stingers, or small arms or boats, but Russia will pay the price, there will be consequences. And Vladimir Putin will go down in history as a pariah (the one everyone shuns – Ed.),” Blumenthal said.

The threat of new Russian aggression against Ukraine – what you should know

In 2014, the Russian Federation captured the Ukrainian Crimea, and then broke into part of the Donbass and began to support the militants who created the so-called “DPR” and “LPR”. A number of Western countries have punished Russia for aggression by imposing sanctions.

Last autumn, information appeared that the Russian side had pulled a significant amount of military and equipment to the border with Ukraine. The Western countries were concerned about such actions of the Russian Federation and threatened it with serious consequences in the event of an invasion of our country.

At the end of November 2021, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Ukrainian state, Kirill Budanov, announced that the Russian Federation had pulled over 90,000 troops to the border and was preparing for an invasion early this year .

After the situation on the border escalated, Russia put forward NATO demands, which it called “security guarantees.” In particular,  the Russian Federation demanded that Ukraine not become a member of the Alliance .

On this occasion, a number of meetings were held in Brussels between representatives of NATO, Russia and the United States.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg argued that  the bloc would not refuse to accept countries that wish it into its ranks .

(c)UNIAN 2022