An area representative has been named to the Russian Stop List.
13th District Representative Rodney Davis is among 398 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to be formally sanctioned by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia announced the retaliatory sanctions on Wednesday, which includes both Democrats and Republicans, with no explanation as to why some 39 members were left off, including Representatives from Illinois Republican Adam Kinzinger and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi.
While speaking with WLDS News earlier this week, Congressman Davis didn’t mince words in his concerns about Russia and the war in Ukraine. “My biggest fear is if Vladimir Putin is successful, he’s going to continue in his march westward. And he’s going to do the same to a western NATO ally country. That will require America’s direct intervention. Let’s stop him now while we can.”
Davis says he’s very frustrated with the Biden Administration for not supplying more weapons to either Ukrainian soldiers or backfilling NATO allies that can get the equipment into Ukraine.
Russian President Vladamir Putin has threatened to put nuclear weapons along the border of Baltic nations should they join NATO. It has also been reported, but not confirmed, that Russia may have used or plan to use chemical weapons during their invasion.
Davis says one is an old ploy from the Soviet playbook, while the other crosses a line in the sand that the U.S. cannot ignore. “The United States should participate in a NATO-led operation to stop the use of any chemical weapons- if it’s proven that Putin and the Russians use chemical weapons in Ukraine.
That is a red line that the world should rally behind, and that should mean that countries like China and others should rally behind us too and behind NATO. We can’t accept the use of chemical weapons. Vladimir Putin is always going to threaten to put a nuclear arsenal anywhere along his border where he thinks he can intimidate.
That’s his modus operandi, that’s who he is. He views the world still in this cold war mentality, and now we’ve had a generation grow up without really focusing on what the cold war was about. When I was growing up the cold war, and focusing on it, was forced upon us because we lived it.
Vladimir Putin lived it, and he hated to see the Soviet Union fall apart because freedom won over communism. Reagan won over Gorbachev. Putin wants to reconstitute the old Soviet Union and I’m afraid he won’t stop until he is stopped.”
In a written response Friday, Congressman Davis told WLDS News “I am honored that Vladimir Putin and his Russian government-sanctioned me. It means I’m doing the right thing by trying to hold him and them accountable for the atrocities they are responsible for in Ukraine. These sanctions are a badge of honor.”