Durbin, McCain meet with Russian ambassador after Kiev visit

Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill., Sen. John McCain R-Az. and other senators who traveled recently to Kiev in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine met on Tuesday with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, in Durbin’s Capitol office, though nothing the Russian said changed Durbin’s view about Russian aggression.

“The Ambassador repeated the same Russian rationalizations and distortions we have heard since President Putin sent his troops and masked gunmen into Crimea,” Durbin said in a statement. “We made clear we stood with our allies and the world in condemning this Russian aggression. We stand with Ukraine and all those who seek a democratic future.”

Below, Durbin release….

Washington, D.C. – As the United States Senate debates a bill which strongly rebukes Russia for its invasion of Crimea, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) met with Russia’s Ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Last week, Durbin and McCain traveled to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian leaders about the rapidly deteriorating political and security situation in the country.

“The Ambassador repeated the same Russian rationalizations and distortions we have heard since President Putin sent his troops and masked gunmen into Crimea,” Durbin said. “We made clear we stood with our allies and the world in condemning this Russian aggression. We stand with Ukraine and all those who seek a democratic future.”

Last week, Senators Durbin and McCain sent a letter to the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), urging the international body to send monitors to Ukraine. After initially being blocked from doing so by the Russian delegation, monitors were allowed into the country late last week….

…Senators Chris Murphy D-Ct.and Ron Johnson R-Wi, both of whom traveled to Ukraine with Durbin and McCain, joined today’s meeting…