Friday, Aug. 15 — Virginia’s U.S. Senator and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner released the following statement today on the eve of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska:

    “Today, President Trump will once again sit down with Vladimir Putin. While we should all hope this meeting produces a genuine step toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, given his track record of cozying up to the Kremlin, refusing to confront Russian election interference, and even taking Putin’s word over the assessments of our own intelligence agencies, I fear this meeting could once again end with America ceding ground to an autocrat who has spent his career undermining democratic values.

     “Ukraine’s sovereignty is not a bargaining chip and the right of a democratic nation to determine its own future is not something to be bartered away in a closed-door meeting. For generations, the United States has carried the global mantle for freedom, self-determination, and rule of law, even when the cost was high and the outcome uncertain. Today, the world will be watching to see whether America will continue to lead with principle or shrink in the face of aggression.

     “According to the U.S. intelligence community, Putin’s long-term objectives in Ukraine remain unchanged: the complete military and political capitulation of Ukraine. These objectives include the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region and other territories, the removal of the democratically elected Ukrainian government, and the establishment of a pro-Russian regime. These are not peace terms; they are ultimatums that would erase Ukraine’s sovereignty, threaten freedom worldwide, and make Americans less safe.  

     “There can be no concessions without full Ukrainian participation, verified Russian withdrawal from occupied territory, and enforceable guarantees for Ukraine’s security. Anything less would be an invitation for further aggression from Moscow and every autocrat watching to see if the United States still has the backbone to defend the principles that have kept Americans safe since the Second World War.”