BURLINGTON, Vt., Feb. 22 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Tuesday issued the following statement after President Biden announced the first tranche of economic sanctions against Russia in response to President Vladimir Putin’s formal recognition of two breakaway territories in Eastern Ukraine:

“Vladimir Putin’s latest invasion of Ukraine is an indefensible violation of international law, regardless of whatever false pretext he offers. There has always been a diplomatic solution to this situation. Tragically, Putin appears intent on rejecting it. The United States must now work with our allies and the international community to impose serious sanctions on Putin and his oligarchs, including denying them access to the billions of dollars that they have stashed in European and American banks. The U.S. and our partners must also prepare for a worse scenario by helping Ukraine’s neighbors care for refugees fleeing this conflict. Finally, in the longer term, we must invest in a global green energy transition away from fossil fuels, not only to combat climate change, but to deny authoritarian petrostates the revenues they require to survive.”