Trump Administration’s Actions to Counter Russian Aggression
- The National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Nuclear Posture Review all identify Russia as a revisionist power and top priority for U.S. national security as Russia seeks to erode American security and prosperity.
- Approved the sale of 210 Javelin anti-tank missiles to help Ukraine build its defense capacity and defend its sovereignty.[i]
- Despite support from the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Congressional authorization, President Obama never approved lethal arms for Ukraine.[ii]
- In December, the Administration approved the sale of sniper rifles for Ukrainian forces to defend against Russian separatists
- This was the largest sale of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine since 2014.[iii]
- In January, imposed sanctions on 30 additional Russian individuals and entities related to Russia’s occupation of Crimea.[iv]
- The Trump Administration will maintain sanctions against Russia until Russia fully implements its commitments under the Minsk agreements.[v]
- Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns the peninsula to Ukraine.[vi]
- The Trump Administration maintains support for Article V and continues to encourage our NATO allies to meet 2% in defense spending to enhance defense capabilities and increase presence and readiness in Eastern Europe.[vii]
- Supported Montenegro’s ascension to NATO and reasserted that other nations in the Western Balkans should be free to determine their own partners without foreign interference.[viii]
- Continues to build a combat credible posture to deter Russia and defend our allies as well as increased U.S. troop presence in Eastern Europe.[ix]
- After the Obama Administration reduced U.S. presence in Europe, Russia annexed Crimea and increased its aggressive actions. Since 2017, the Army has increased its back-to-back rotations and training in Europe.[x]
- US forces have increased the depth and breadth of exercises and training with NATO allies and foreign partners.[xi]
- The Obama Administration’s cuts to our military armed readiness and decreased the deterrence posture in Europe despite a resurgent Russia.[xii]
- Obama Administration decided to remove two Army brigades in Europe.[xiii]
- Proposed an increase of funding for the European Defense Initiative to support our allies deter Russian aggression.[xiv]
- President Trump directed strikes on Syrian military infrastructure to hold the regime accountable for their use of chemical weapons.[xv]
- President Obama failed to enforce his redline in Syria after chemical weapons attacks[xvi]
- Russia proposed a deal to remove chemical weapons from Syria but the regime continued to use chemical weapons[xvii]
- The Administration holds Russia responsible for protecting Assad, the ongoing use of chemical weapons in Syria, and attacking innocent civilians.[xviii]
- The Obama Administration let Russia and Iran take a dominant role in Syria to protect Assad’s regime and take a strategic position to greater influence the region.[xix]
- Russia enables the Syrian regime, fails to enforce the cease fire, and is complicit for Assad’s atrocities.[xx]
- President Trump signed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) which imposes sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
- The Administration has implemented sanctions against Russians for human rights abuses and listed the Russian political figures, oligarchs, and sectors that profit from corrupt deals or weapons sales.
- The Administration’s engagement with partners and allies have stopped several billions of dollars’ worth of potential deals which are not going to Russia by using the threat of sanctions in CAATSA that targets Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors.[xxi]
- Imposed additional sanctions on Russian cyber actors for interference in the 2016 Elections and cyber-attacks.
- The Trump Administration has sanctioned more than 100 individuals and entities under Ukraine and Russia-related sanctions authorities and the Administration inends to impose additional sanctions pursuant to CAATSA on Russian government officials and oligarchs for their destabilizing activites.[xxi]
- President Trump joined foreign leaders condemning Russia for its use of a nerve agent in the UK. [xxii]
- The Trump Administration blamed Russia for cyber-attacks on U.S. power grid and energy infrastructure. [xxiii]
- In addition to sanctions, the Administration has facilitated U.S. LNG sales to Eastern Europe to decrease their dependence on Russian gas[xxiv]
- Opposes Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline[xxv]
- The Administration closed the Russian consulate in San Francisco, as well as two diplomatic annexes in NY and DC after Russia reduced U.S. diplomatic presence in Russia.[xxvi]
- President Donald J. Trump ordered the expulsion of dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to one of our submarine bases and Boeing. The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world. [xxviii]
[ii] https://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/obama-pressed-on-many-fronts-to-arm-ukraine-115999
[v] https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/02/278270.htm
[vi] ibid.,
[ix] http://www.eucom.mil/mission/eucom-posture-statement-2018
[xi] Ibid.,
[xii] “The United States…has drastically cut back its European forces from a decade ago.” Military Cuts Render NATO Less Formidable as Deterrent to Russia. March 26, 2014, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/world/europe/military-cuts-render-nato-less-formidable-as-deterrent-to-russia.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=948A8BF8521D0F95B929C7BA468EB06C&gwt=pay
[xvi] August 30, 2013: The White House released the U.S. Government Assessment on the use of chemical weapons in Syria on August 21. The report says that the intelligence community has “high confidence” that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against the opposition elements in Damascus. Secretary Kerry, in an address, also said that the regime used chemical weapons “multiple times” over the past year. https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Timeline-of-Syrian-Chemical-Weapons-Activity
[xvii] “…the failure is that the regime, with Russians on the ground, was continuing to use chlorine as a chemical weapon and most recently sarin. Failure, if there’s Russian failure, it’s not preventing their proxies from using chemical weapons for the last few years.”https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-happened-to-russias-agreement-to-eliminate-syrias-chemical-weapons/
[xviii] https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8262
[xxi]https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/01/277775.htm
[xxiv] https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0312
[xxv] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/06/trump-natural-gas-europe-leaders.html
[xxvi] https://www.politico.eu/article/trumps-russian-pipeline-policy/
[xxviii] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-expulsion-russian-intelligence-officers/