Rep. Sherrill Of NJ Wants Harsher Sanctions For Putin, Russia

NEW JERSEY — Russian President Vladimir Putin should face harsher economic sanctions for his role in this week’s “unprovoked and unjustifiable attack” against Ukraine, a New Jersey congresswoman says.

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who represents the state’s 11th congressional district, supported removing Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, a crucial network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world.

Removing Russia from SWIFT would make it extremely difficult for financial institutions to send money in or out of the country. The U.S. and other nations have already imposed other sanctions on Russia, but President Joe Biden isn’t currently supporting the move, saying that while it’s still an option, “right now that’s not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take.”

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and Russian policy officer, disagreed with Biden’s take on the SWIFT proposal on Thursday.

“Vladimir Putin has instigated an unprovoked and unjustifiable attack against Ukraine ... a sovereign, democratic nation,” Sherrill said. “He has attempted to rewrite history and has unleashed propaganda and disinformation in pursuit of his clear desire to rebuild the Soviet Union’s so-called sphere of influence. The strikes he authorized last night are unconscionable, and he is directly responsible for the deaths caused.”

The congresswoman continued:

“I am supportive of the sanctions imposed so far by the U.S. and our allies, but our sanctions must impose more consequences on Putin and his cronies. In addition to freezing monetary assets, we should immediately restrict travel for Oligarchs and their families. We must remove Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system and put into place full blocking sanctions for the Russian Central Bank. We must sanction Putin himself. It is critical to show Putin just how damaging this decision to invade will be to his country and his allies.”

As a Russian policy officer, Sherrill worked on the implementation of U.S. nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy. She currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she serves as the Vice Chair of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.

• See related article: Rep. Sherrill Votes To Raise Military Spending, Servicemember Pay

Russian troops launched a broad assault on Ukraine from three sides Thursday, an attack that brought explosions before dawn to the country's capital, Kyiv, and other cities. Ukraine's leadership said at least 40 people had been killed so far in what it called a "full-scale war" targeting the country from the east, north and south, the Associated Press reported.

The invasion of Ukraine followed a series of failed diplomatic efforts, NPR reported. It marks the largest military attack of one state against another on the European continent since the Second World War, Fox News stated.

In a televised statement, Putin warned other countries that any attempt to interfere in Ukraine would "lead to consequences you have never seen in history."

A Ukrainian official said more than 40 soldiers and up to 10 civilians have died since the invasion began, CNN reported.

• See related article: Here's What To Know As Russia Attacks Ukraine
• See related article: NJ Cardinal On Ukraine-Russia: 'Reject War As Political Solution'
• See related article: Menendez, Booker Of NJ Condemn Putin For Ukraine Invasion

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