(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said it’s important to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin and his oligarch “frat brothers” through economic sanctions.
Durbin is among U.S. lawmakers condemning Russia’s incursion into Ukraine and also those who doubt Putin will stop with the neighboring country. He said it’s possible that NATO allies Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic states could also be vulnerable.
President Biden on Thursday announced economic sanctions against Russia. Putin’s oligarch friends should also feel the pain, Durbin said.
“We’re going to put pressure in every way imaginable on Vladimir Putin. I hope that includes getting down to the oligarchs, his frat brothers, that he runs around Europe and Russia with,” the Illinois Democrat said. “They’re spending their money, the oligarchs, that they have basically stolen from the Russians, on lavish lifestyles.
“There’s no reason why we should tolerate any of that, now that Putin has decided that he is going to breach any standards of civility and invade Ukraine. I think we ought to come down hard on these oligarchs, these rich boys in Russia that are such buddies with Vladimir Putin.”
Durbin said he had just met with U.S. service members in Lithuania. The group included three from Illinois, he said.