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RUSIA Kevin Cramer backs Russia sanctions and urges broader military support for Ukraine
The North Dakota Republican said he agrees with criticism of the temporary pause in sanctions tied to Russian oil. He also said he brought Volodymyr Zelenskyy a proposal to expand Ukraine’s access to Starshield.
Sen. Kevin Cramer said on CBS News Miami that he agrees with fellow Republicans who criticized Donald Trump’s decision to temporarily waive sanctions tied to Russia and buyers of Russian oil. He argued that giving in to Vladimir Putin only invites further demands, while also acknowledging that the move may be linked to the proximity of the election and concerns over diesel prices in North Dakota.
Cramer said he expects the pause to be short-lived and added that during his recent trip to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked him to press for full enforcement of the Lindsey Graham sanctions law. The senator said he still supports that position and hopes action will eventually extend to China over its purchases of Russian energy.
During the interview, Cramer said he presented Zelenskyy with a proposal developed by Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to expand Ukraine’s access to Starshield if Kyiv stops striking Russian energy facilities. According to Cramer, the Ukrainian president responded favorably and said he would halt those attacks if Ukraine were given targeting capabilities to strike deeper inside Russia against launch sites.
Cramer said Zelenskyy also requested two other measures: permission to jointly produce Patriot missile interceptors under license and stronger capabilities to respond to faster drones and missiles used by Russia. The senator said he supports all three requests and argued that Ukraine is trying to shield civilians while Russia has chosen to target civilian populations.
On the disruption or throttling of services affecting systems linked to Starlink and Starshield, Cramer said he supports an investigation to determine whether it was a deliberate decision or a technical problem. Rep. Mike Turner, interviewed separately by CBS, also called for a congressional investigation and said lives are at stake.
Cramer said he has not spoken with Marco Rubio about his exchange with Zelenskyy and that he does not know exactly who is driving the administration’s negotiations, although he said ultimate responsibility rests with Trump. He also said Wicker and others had already discussed the proposal with the White House and the State Department before meeting the Ukrainian leader.
In the final part of the interview, Cramer again criticized the decision to allow tariff-free imports of foreign beef. He said it harms North Dakota ranchers, undercuts domestic producers and has not lowered grocery prices. In that context, he specifically referred to imports of Argentine beef.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
