WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, released the following statement condemning the political violence in Ukraine:
“The deeply concerning political violence in Ukraine has led to a needless loss of life and dangerous instability. The Ukrainian government must immediately take steps to stop this violence and resume negotiations with the political opposition. The fundamental freedoms of all Ukrainians to peacefully protest must be respected, and those responsible for violence must be held accountable for their actions. Last month, I joined my colleagues in supporting a Senate resolution that passed unanimously calling for a peaceful and democratic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine. The resolution also noted that the President and Congress should consider whether to apply targeted sanctions against those responsible for ordering or carrying out violence. I welcome President Obama’s recent decision to issue visa bans on 20 senior Ukrainian government officials, and support the consideration of additional measures to hold the government of Ukraine accountable."