Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement calling for immediate actions to be taken to cut off Vladimir Putin’s ability to use energy resources as a weapon of war.

“The brutal war that Vladimir Putin has inflicted on the sovereign democratic nation of Ukraine demands a fundamental rethinking of American national security and our national and international energy policy. The United States, our European allies and the rest of the world cannot be held hostage by the acts of one man. It is simply inexplicable that we and other Western nations continue to spend billions of dollars on energy from Russia. This funding directly supports Putin’s ability to stay in power and execute a war on the people of Ukraine. We cannot decry the atrocities of Putin while simultaneously funding his war. We as Americans must be willing to act now. More importantly, we must commit to leading the world in holding Putin and his oligarchs accountable, to strangle their financial lifelines and to hold all those who would support him equally accountable for the violence they have inflicted on Ukraine.

“First, we must immediately ban the importation of all energy that is sourced from Russia. This ban must be enacted now.

“Second, we must dramatically increase domestic production of energy to support the energy needs of American consumers without causing increased financial burden.

“Third, we must compel every energy company – especially those in the U.S. and other Western nations – to immediately cease any and all investment, operations and production in Russia and in Russian allies. While some companies have already acted, there needs to be a complete commitment to destroying Putin’s economic weapons for the pain and horror he has brought to Europe.

“Fourth, as a nation we must commit to once again achieving complete energy independence by embracing an all-of-the-above energy policy to ensure that the American people have reliable, dependable and affordable power without disregarding our climate responsibilities.

“Finally, we must dramatically increase our military support to our NATO allies and position the necessary forces to deter any escalation or threats to NATO members.

“While we must do everything possible to end this conflict through diplomatic means, we can no longer place the free world’s national or energy security in the hands of Vladimir Putin. The time has come for America to once again lead the world in the fight for democracy and securing freedom. We are the greatest and most powerful nation in the world and we must seize this moment through our leadership.”  

###