WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following statement in response to reports that the White House may be pausing congressionally-directed weapons shipments to Ukraine:

“I am gravely concerned by the potential “pause” in the supply of crucial weapons necessary for the defense of the Ukrainian people. To slow or stop the delivery of promised weaponry (which reportedly were already in Poland on their way to Kiev) is a serious policy and humanitarian mistake.

“These systems are designed to intercept and destroy incoming aerial attacks of exactly the type that Russia has escalated recently against civilian targets in Ukraine. Cutting off the delivery of this desperately needed shield puts civilian lives at greater risk and sends a dangerous signal to Moscow.

“The only thing that will bring Putin to the table, as the President desires, is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a continuing show of force in the face of intensifying Russian aggression. This decision undermines both of these objectives, significantly weakening the President’s hand in brokering peace.

“Stopping Putin in Ukraine is critical to the preservation of Ukraine as a sovereign nation and the protection of her brave people, but it is in our interest as well by deterring further Russian aggression elsewhere in Eastern Europe which would lead to a much wider conflict. After all, America is sending our superior and sophisticated arsenal; Ukraine is sending its fathers, sons and brothers to the front – in defense of democratic values.

“This regrettable decision should be reversed and repudiated at once—for Ukraine, for the United States, and for the world.”

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