FOX "Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace" - Transcript: Crimean Crisis
Interview
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WALLACE: We turn now to the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From New Jersey, Chairman Robert Menendez. And from Tennessee, the top Republican, Bob Corker.
Well, gentlemen, now we not only have the Crimean referendum, where voters will certainly vote to break away from Ukraine. We now also have this incursion across the Crimean border, six miles further in to Ukraine.
Senator Menendez, how far do you expect Vladimir Putin to go?
SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ, D-N.J.: Well, President Putin has started a game of Russian roulette and I think that the United States and the west have to be very clear in their response, because, he will calculate about how far he can go. So that means they're having very robust sanctions ready to go, starting with the Crimea vote and moving onward depending upon Russia's continued actions after the Crimea vote.
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WALLACE: Let me bring in Senator Menendez, because assuming, and I think it's almost certain, that if Crimea does vote to break away, do you expect those economic sanctions. I'm talking particularly about freezing the assets of specific Russian and Ukrainian leaders who are involved in this. Do you expect them to be imposed in the next day or so, even before Russia decides whether to annex Crimea?
MENENDEZ: Well, I think that the question will be, what does Russia do in response? And having those sanctions ready, whether it be against the defense minister, the federal security service, the secretary of the Security Council, possibly the executives of Gazprom, and Rosneft, which are there oil and gas companies, send a very clear message.
Now, if Russia doesn't act in the Duma, their congress, to go ahead and accept annexation, that's one thing. But if they move towards that goal, then I think ultimately, the sanctions need to be enforced, along with our European allies, because that will have the biggest bite.
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WALLACE: Senator Menendez, are we headed for a new Cold War with Russia?
MENENDEZ: Well, I -- you know, it need not be that way. But by the same token, you know, from my own perspective, Putin only understands strength. He's an admirer of Peter the Great, because means that Peter was great because he had his mind to the Russian Empire.
And so, ultimately, what we do here, along with our European allies, has consequences as we move toward for the Ukraine, has consequences for other eastern European countries. Some of which are now part of NATO, some of which are not. But we're contemplated to be part of NATO.
And also, Chris, beyond the Ukraine and Eastern Europe, is the message that we send globally. The Chinese are watching and saying, let's see what the West does, because ultimately, we've got territory in the South China Sea that we believe is ours.
WALLACE: Senator Menendez --
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MENENDEZ: And so, others are going to look at that.
WALLACE: I hate to interrupt but we are running out of time and I want to ask you specifically about the message we're sending. Your committee overwhelmingly passed a bill this week on Wednesday that would impose new sanctions on Russia, as well as give aid to Ukraine. But it wasn't passed among other reasons because there's a dispute with the House and with some Senate Republicans about reforms to the IMF and whether or not the IRS regulations about tax exempt organizations and political activities should be delayed.
I don't want to get into the details of that. I think what the really question is, really, in the middle of an international crisis, the Congress is going to get involved in all those inside politics?
MENENDEZ: Chris, really, the IMF reform if you want to really help the Ukraine is necessary. That's why we had a 14-3 bipartisan vote in the committee. That's why many senators, Senator McCain, Senator Corker, and others, I believe are ready to vote on the floor with us to move that package, because you need to stabilize the Ukraine economically, as part of the solution to the security threat. And only the IMF --
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WALLACE: But if that holds up action, Senator Menendez, is that -- is that wise?
MENENDEZ: I'm sorry?
WALLACE: If that holds up action, is that wise, sir?
MENENDEZ: Well, listen, you know, you can just send a billion dollars of loan guarantee which is significant but at the end of the day, the House of Representatives did not even pass any sanctions which we have in our legislation, which we believe are biding. So, you can either have a fig leaf or something robust and meaningful as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee did. That's what's necessary to help the Ukraine and the Ukrainian prime minister made that case to us when he was visiting.
WALLACE: Senator Menendez, Senator Corker, we want to thank you both so much for coming in today. Thank you, gentlemen.
MENENDEZ: Thank you.
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