He weighed in on sanctions as a deterrent.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s response to the standoff with Ukraine and weighed in on sanctions as a deterrent.

“The very strongest sections, the sorts of sanctions that we use to bring Iran to the table is something that we should hold out as a deterrent to prevent Putin from taking the last step of invading Ukraine, Coons told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

“One of the things that we are doing to show resolve and bipartisan determination is engagement with the landscape to support him. Twenty members of the Senate and the House Democrats and Republicans spent two hours on a zoom call with the Zelensky on Christmas Eve, and a bipartisan group just went to Kiev to meet with him and Ukraine this past week. I think it’s important that we continue to show support for the duly elected leadership if Ukraine,” he added.

Secretary of State Anonty Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva this week as U.S.-Russia tensions continue to rise over the standoff with Ukraine. While diplomatic talks continue, President Biden did concede Wednesday that he believes Russian President Putin will advance troops into Ukraine, but says Putin “Does not want any full-blown war.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.



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