European Diplomats Ask U.S. For Help Against Russia
Diplomats from six Eastern European countries appealed to U.S. senators on Tuesday to help them stand up against interference from Russia, including cyber attacks, and insisted that sanctions imposed on Moscow should not be lifted anytime soon.
The foreign minister of Ukraine as well as the ambassadors to Washington from Poland, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia appeared at a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing on Russian activity in their countries.
"Until Russia gets off Ukrainian land, there should be no easing up of sanctions. If anything, they should be increased," said Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.
Other diplomats agreed, describing efforts within their countries and others to lessen their dependence on Russian natural gas for their energy needs.
"We really think about diversification," said Piotr Wilczek, Poland's ambassador to Washington.
Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the subcommittee overseeing the State Department and foreign aid, called the hearing amid concerns that President Donald Trump might not stand up to Moscow, including talk that he might lift sanctions imposed after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea.
http://www.newsweek.com/eastern-europe-russia-russian-hacking-senate-lindsey-graham-donald-trump-564993
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