WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) last night called on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold an emergency joint meeting to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: 

“The United States and our allies must draw a red line and make it clear that this act of war will not be tolerated. I am calling for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold an immediate, emergency joint meeting to implement policies to isolate Vladimir Putin and force him to remove his forces from sovereign Ukraine. 

“I met with Afghan refugees today.  They saw their lives turned upside down in a matter of days: girls banned from school, families uprooted and futures uncertain at best.  Now, with Putin’s invasion, the Ukrainian people are facing a similar fate.  

“There is no doubt that weakness leads to war.  Abandoning the policies of peace through strength, border security, energy independence and a self-reliant supply chain was not in the national or global best interest, and it has led to catastrophic foreign policy failures as well.  

“Nonetheless, our country must now be united in helping our leaders find the strength needed to confront this challenge because China, Iran and North Korea are all watching, and a premeditated, unprovoked act of war cannot stand.”

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