Considering the last witness, I remember the pushback we got was that it would cause a problem with Europe.

I was proud to draft legislation earlier this year that now is supported by 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats.

the fact that Russia is enabling the Assad regime to break any form of standards as far as the use of chemical weapons.

We can counter Putin by defying his efforts to undermine our confidence in our democracy.

I think it is very, very important that we share a lot in our transatlantic partnership, and one of the things we share is that we are all targeted by Russia's activities to our democratic institutions.

Countering corruption should be explicitly identified as a U.S. national security priority.

Americans and Europeans need to speak with one voice on the important transatlantic values we hold dear: democracy, human rights, and the just, accountable rule of law.

the European Union is a reliable, trusted, and credible global actor

we have to prepare against what Russia is doing on disinformation.

Nothing is off the table when it comes to Russia.

A strong, healthy Europe, including a strong European Union and a strong NATO alliance is a vital national security interest for the United States.

Russia has been a major player in seeking to create and exploit these circumstances in Europe; its aggression, as mentioned.

America's role as a beacon, as President Reagan put it, for those who must have freedom.

I congratulate the bipartisan group of Senators, including many from this committee, who have cosponsored the proposed Counteracting Russian Hostilities Act of 2017.

We must never cease to work toward a more perfect union here at home, and we must never cease to be a champion for human rights in the world.

We must also do better at explaining that while sanctions have costs for us, too, and particularly for our companies, these costs are part of an investment in reinforcing a rules-based system.

It is going to be challenging to see the OSCE be able to take action.

The fact that Russia is undermining the rule of law with respect to sovereignty and territorial integrity is insane.