(NewsGlobal.com)- This weekend, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton urged that Russia be completely cut off from the SWIFT international banking system and sanctions be imposed on its oil and gas exports.
In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Senator Cotton said if the West wants to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression toward Ukraine, “it’s time to remove all Russian institutions” from SWIFT and “impose sanctions on his oil and gas exports.”
Cotton suggested that there is a lot more the West can do than offer prayers, hashtags, or lighting up buildings in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. He accused the Biden administration and NATO of “pussyfooting around,” noting that the sanctions announced over the weekend “are riddled with loopholes.”
Cotton noted that only sanctioning 80 percent of Russian banks still leaves Putin 20 percent “to continue to finance his war machine.” It was time for the West to remove all of Russia’s financial institutions, Cotton said. What’s more, because Russian oil and gas exports are Putin’s primary means of financing the war, Cotton said it is also time to impose sanctions on Russia’s energy exports.
Regarding Saturday’s White House announcement on sending additional weapons to Ukraine, Cotton said these weapons need to be rushed “to the front,” adding “it should have been done weeks ago.”
The Senator told Stephanopoulos that Ukraine is out of time, adding “there’s not a minute to lose.”
Watch HERE.
