WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, on Sunday joined Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream to discuss Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and support for the Ukrainian people, banning the American purchase of Russian oil, and the importance of a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
On emergency aid to Ukraine, Murphy said: “My belief is that next week Congress is going to pass an emergency funding bill for Ukraine putting $10 billion into both additional defensive equipment for Ukraine but also humanitarian assistance to get civilians out. My hope is that the Europeans will do more as well.”
On calls for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, Murphy said: “I think we need to be clear that we are not going to go to war with Russia. That would be the beginning of World War Three. It would drag all of Europe into a much broader war…If the United States put planes in the air, we would immediately be shooting at Russian planes, they would be shooting at us. We would be at war…So I get why President Zelensky is pressing on a no-fly zone, and I think we should answer many of his other calls for additional defensive equipment, for more humanitarian assistance. I don't think it's in our interest, in the interest of Europe to have the United States and Russia – the two world's biggest, most equipped nuclear superpowers – going to war directly against each other.”
Murphy continued: “Putin has made it absolutely clear that he wanted to reconstitute the former Soviet Union. And so I think you have to take him at his word and understand that this might not be the end for Vladimir Putin. It used to be that we thought it was impossible that Putin would march an army into a NATO country. I don't think we can take that for granted any longer...Similarly, you have to listen to President Xi, who has acted in a way over the course of the last several years as if he is going to do the same thing with respect to Taiwan…We are likely going to have to make a clear decision about whether the United States is willing to step in and protect Taiwan.”
On banning imports of Russian oil, Murphy said: “President Biden has made it really clear that the best policy is for the U.S. and Europe to act together…I think the White House is just trying to make sure that we mitigate any impact on lower income Americans, and that we try to bring Europe along to the extent possible to make the impact as big as possible. But the short of it is yes, I would absolutely support cutting off Russian oil to the United States.”
Murphy continued: “If prices go up, then you are naturally through the market mechanisms going to have more U.S. production…I represent a state that's going to have a lot of wind power online very soon, and so my preference would be to try to fill in that gap with renewable energy.”
On the importance and urgency of a nuclear agreement with Iran, Murphy said: “But if you got the classified briefings that I've gotten about how close Iran is to a nuclear weapon right now, you would agree that we cannot leave a good deal on the table. If there is an agreement to be had that allows inspectors back in, that stops Iran's research program, we should take it because the alternative is disastrous for the region. Not just Iran becoming weeks away from getting a weapon. But the Saudis, the Emiratis, everyone else deciding that now is the time to pursue their own nuclear weapon. A nuclear Middle East would be a disaster for the world and for the United States.”
Click here to view the entirety of Murphy’s interview.
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