Senators David Perdue (R-GA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Wednesday sent a letter to President Obama regarding recent reports of harassment and violence toward U.S. diplomats, as well as the Obama Administration’s proposal to enter into a new agreement with Russia on military cooperation in Syria.
“This behavior is unacceptable, contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and is an affront to our nation by a Russian government determined to undermine bilateral ties,” wrote the senators. “The assault of one of our diplomats in front of our own Embassy should result in serious consequences for the perpetrators of these crimes.
“Therefore, we call on you to immediately recall U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Tefft to Washington, until such time as the Russian Federation offers an official apology for these incidents and impose additional U.S. sanctions on those individuals that authorized and perpetrated these crimes, including financial sanctions and lifetime visa bans to the United States,” the senators continued. “We also urge you to declare persona non grata relevant staff from Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States.”
Senator Perdue recently led his colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in introducing a bipartisan resolution that calls on Russia to cease provocative military maneuvers that endanger U.S. forces and calls on the U.S., its European allies, and the international community to continue to apply pressure on Moscow.
Read the full text of the letter the senators sent Wednesday here.