Montana politicians issue statements on Ukraine

Montana politicians and members of the state’s congressional delegation have released statements responding to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia on Thursday, Feb. 24, the escalation of a conflict between the two countries which has been ongoing since 2014.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine started with Russia’s invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, in violation of a 1994 international law known as the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. Under this treaty, Ukraine agreed to disarm nuclear weapons left over from the fall of the Soviet Union in exchange for a guarantee of its security and sovereignty from Russia, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Since the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, conflict simmering in eastern Ukraine between the Ukrainian military and separatist forces supported by Russia caused at least 51,000 casualties, according to a report by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The U.S. and its NATO allies increased their military presence in Europe over time in response to the conflict, though NATO troops will not be deployed in Ukraine because it is not a formal member of the alliance. 

Russian troops began amassing on the border with Ukraine in October 2021, sparking fears of another invasion and warnings by the U.S. and its allies that sanctions would be placed on Russia in the event of an attack. On the morning of Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an invasion of Ukraine from east, south and north of the country, an action which has been globally condemned.

Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, released a statement later that day saying, “Putin’s unprovoked invasion of the sovereign, democratic Ukraine is an egregious act of war. Montana stands with the freedom-loving people of Ukraine and continues to pray for their safety. The United States and our democratic allies should respond immediately with sweeping, strict, comprehensive sanctions against Russia.”

Countries around the world, including the U.S., have announced sanctions on Russia designed to isolate the country from the global economy, including banning business with Russian banks and removing their access to a global transaction system called SWIFT.

In a statement also released Feb. 24, Sen. John Tester, a Democrat, wrote, “Vladimir Putin single-handedly started an unprovoked war that makes the world less safe. I stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and with every freedom-loving democracy in condemning Russia’s illegal military actions. The United States will continue to support the security and stability of our NATO and European allies in the face of these acts of war.”

Tester, who serves as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, is working to include additional funding for Ukraine in the annual Defense Appropriations bill, according to a statement released Tuesday, March 1, by Roy Loewenstein, deputy communications director for Tester’s office.

The White House has already requested $6.4 billion in aid for Ukraine from Congress for economic, security and humanitarian assistance. On Friday, Feb. 25, the White House approved shipments of weapons, including Javelin and Stinger missiles, to Ukraine, and other NATO countries are also providing weapons to the country to support its military against Russia.

“I’m praying for the people of Ukraine and condemn Putin’s outrageous attack on their sovereignty and independence,” a statement released by Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, read. “Putin is a thug, and he has been empowered and emboldened by Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and his approval of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline while killing America’s Keystone XL pipeline. The skyrocketing price of oil and resulting inflation are stark reminders of the importance of increasing, not decreasing, made in America energy. I do not support sending American troops to Ukraine.”

Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Republican, advocated against a focus on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

"Now that Russia has begun their invasion of Ukraine, cries from war hawks on both sides of the aisle continue to grow louder to spill American blood and treasure in this conflict,” read a statement from Rosendale’s office. “We must resist these calls and put America first. The United States has no legal or moral obligation to come to the aid of either side in this foreign conflict. In talking to folks across Montana, they are much more concerned with stopping the invasion taking place in our country by millions of illegal aliens than they are the invasion of an Eastern European country halfway across the world. It is our obligation to secure our nation and put the American people first, not send our sons and daughters to die overseas in a conflict that does not serve our national interests."

On March 2, Rosendale was one of only three members of the House of Representatives to vote “no” on a resolution supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and asking for “additional and immediate defensive security assistance” to be delivered to the country. The resolution passed 426-3. 

Since Feb. 24, Russia’s invasion has caused at least 2,000 civilian deaths, according to Ukraine’s emergency service. On March 2, The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported roughly one million refugees have fled Ukraine since the start of the invasion, some spending days waiting to cross the country’s borders. In Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and across the country, some take shelter underground in subway stations while the Russian military bombards the city with missiles and bombs, according to The Kyiv Independent.

The International Criminal Court launched an investigation into war crimes by Russia on Monday, Feb. 28, in response to growing reports of indiscriminate attacks with cluster weapons by its military on civilian targets, such as residential complexes, hospitals and a kindergarten.