‘Very dangerous time’: Idaho’s Crapo urges even tougher sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is just the first step of Vladimir Putin’s plan to reassemble America’s Cold War enemy, U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo told members of the Boise Metro Chamber on Thursday.

“He has made it absolutely clear that his objective is to reconstruct the U.S.S.R.,” Crapo said during his speech before 150 people at The Riverside Hotel. “He has never agreed that Ukraine was not a part of Russia.”

The Union of Soviet Social Republics was the empire that operated between 1922 and 1991. In its final years, it consisted of 15 republics, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia and Georgia.

Crapo, a Republican, called on Democratic President Joe Biden to bring even greater sanctions to bear against Russia. But he said there isn’t an appetite in Congress for sending U.S. service members.

“I don’t believe there’s any support in having another Afghanistan or Iraq and put troops on the ground,” Crapo said. “I don’t think that is the right thing to do.”

He predicted that if Russia’s aggression goes beyond the borders of Ukraine, to Lithuania, Estonia or into the nearby Balkan nations, that will prompt NATO to get involved.

“There is a NATO alliance of 25 or more nations that will put boots on the ground,” Crapo said. “Ukraine is just the first step and many of us are worried about what that means.”

Crapo said he agreed with Biden’s decision to provide Ukraine with lethal military aid to fight back.

“This is a serious threat, not only to our national security, but to the security of our NATO allies as well as Ukraine,” he said.

An hour before Crapo spoke, Biden announced new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors, the president said. The United States and its allies will block assets of four large Russian banks, impose export controls and sanction oligarchs, The Associated Press reported.

Crapo said people in the United States and allies in Europe will suffer collateral damage from the massive sanctions imposed on Russia. But he said the sanctions are absolutely necessary.

“We’re in a very, very dangerous time here,” he said. “We recognize that we need to do it and we can put together crushing sanctions.”

Crapo applauded Germany’s decision to halt certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The 750-mile pipeline was completed in September but has been awaiting final certification from German regulators. That authorization is needed for gas to flow through the Baltic Sea pipeline from Russia to Germany.

The United States and its allies, including Ukraine, have opposed the pipeline, which could supply 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Many countries worry it could increase Russia’s influence, as it could bring worth as much as $15 billion to Gazprom, the state-owned company that controls the pipeline.

“It’s a very dangerous time for us,” Crapo said. “Putin has already threatened the United States with lethal retaliation. We’re thinking cybersecurity, infrastructure and other things.”