The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a symbolic resolution that calls on President Joe Biden to “impose significant costs” on Russia if it invades Ukraine in the coming days, Politico reported.
The voice vote came after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) threatened to block it if the measure’s sponsors, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), did not agree to amend it.
“We believe that it should say, ‘nothing in this resolution is to be construed as an authorization for war,’ and ‘nothing in this resolution is to be construed as authorizing introduction of troops into Ukraine,’” Paul told reporters.
The resolution itself is nonbinding and makes no mention of authorizing war or the deployment of U.S. troops. The non-interventionist Paul has advocated for a more restrained approach to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and has sought to limit U.S. involvement in any military maneuvers involving Russia.
The American senators ultimately struck an agreement late Thursday allowing the resolution to pass unanimously before the Senate began a week-long recess.
The proposal, which was introduced Thursday by a half-dozen senior members of both parties, came after a bigger set of cross-aisle negotiators failed to reach an agreement on a comprehensive bill that would have boosted Ukraine’s defenses and sanctioned Russia if it reinvades its western neighbor.
Among other provisions, the resolution “denounces the Russian military buildup of over 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, including in Belarus,” decrying President Vladimir Putin’s government as “threatening the security of bordering NATO allies ... contrary to established international norms.”
















