Van Hollen Joins Cortez Masto, Wyden, Colleagues in Reaffirming Congress’ Authority to Maintain Trade Restrictions on Russia

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and seven of their Senate colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump reaffirming Congress’ authority to maintain trade restrictions on the Russian Federation while it continues its war of aggression against Ukraine. Their letter follows the devolution of talks between the United States and Ukraine last Friday, just two weeks after the President claimed that Ukraine “should have never started [the war].”

“Vladimir Putin is a ruthless dictator who has led the Russian Federation into a war of aggression against Ukraine with the explicit goal of denying Ukraine and its people their collective rights to independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” wrote the Senators. “Our country, in coordination with our allies and partners and with bipartisan support has imposed sweeping financial sanctions, stringent export controls, and aggressive trade restrictions on the Russian Federation.”

In 2022, Congress passed the Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act which revoked Russia’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status to ensure Russian goods and services do not enjoy privileged, “most-favored nation” access to the U.S. market. Congress also passed the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act which banned the importation of all energy products from the Russian Federation.

According to these laws, the Russian Federation must reach an agreement relating to the withdrawal of its forces and cessation of military hostilities that is accepted by the free and independent government of Ukraine, recognize the right of the people of Ukraine to independently and freely choose their own government, and pose no immediate military threat of aggression to any NATO member before the President can restore normal trade relations.

“In light of your worrisome statements, we wish to remind you that you must not—and cannot, under statute—attempt to restore normal trade relations or lift the import ban on Russian energy products unless and until Ukraine’s peace demands are met and their free and independent government has accepted a peace agreement,” continued the Senators. “Ukraine must be at the table to determine its future, and conditions for peace cannot be imposed on Ukraine.”

In addition to Senator Van Hollen, the letter is signed by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

The full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear President Trump:

Vladimir Putin is a ruthless dictator who has led the Russian Federation into a war of aggression against Ukraine with the explicit goal of denying Ukraine and its people their collective rights to independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Our country, in coordination with our allies and partners and with bipartisan support has imposed sweeping financial sanctions, stringent export controls, and aggressive trade restrictions on the Russian Federation.

In April 2022, Democrats and Republicans in Congress passed two significant pieces of bipartisan legislation: the Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act (Pub. L. 117-110) and the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act (Pub. L. 117-109). The former revoked Russia’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status to ensure Russian goods and services do not enjoy privileged, “most-favored nation” access to the U.S. market, and the latter banned the importation of all energy products from the Russian Federation. Both laws recognize that the Russian Federation’s exportation of goods, particularly in the energy sector, is central to its ability to wage its war of aggression on Ukraine.

The language in these laws is clear. Though they provide the President the ability to restore normal trade relations and lift the import ban on Russian energy products, respectively, Congress purposefully set a high bar for these actions. Specifically, Congress mandated that the Russian Federation must: reach an agreement relating to the withdrawal of its forces and cessation of military hostilities that is accepted by the free and independent government of Ukraine; recognize the right of the people of Ukraine to independently and freely choose their own government; and pose no immediate military threat of aggression to any North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member. We will not allow you to usurp congressional authority. Over the past few weeks, you have made baseless claims that show a fundamental misunderstanding of this conflict. You have erroneously claimed that Ukraine “should have never started [the war]”, despite the fact that there is no doubt that Russia’s army crossed Ukraine’s border in February 2022 and illegally annexed Crimea nearly a decade prior. You have called Ukraine’s democratically-elected president a “dictator”, while praising Russia’s dictator as “a very smart guy.” And last week you staged a press conference in an attempt to publicly coerce Ukraine to accept peace under Russia-dictated terms. 

In light of your worrisome statements, we wish to remind you that you must not—and cannot, under statute—attempt to restore normal trade relations or lift the import ban on Russian energy products unless and until Ukraine’s peace demands are met and their free and independent government has accepted a peace agreement. Ukraine must be at the table to determine its future, and conditions for peace cannot be imposed on Ukraine.

We will be unwavering in our support for a secure, democratic, and sovereign Ukraine, free to choose its own leaders and make its own future. We encourage you to do the same.

Sincerely,