Senator Toomey Responds To Russian Agression In Baltic Sea
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey reacted angrily to reports of Russian fight planes attempting to terrorize a Navy ship in the Baltic Sea, but predicted the White House will take no action in response.
Toomey, during an interview with Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, said Vladimir Putin is openly trying re-assert his dominance in the region.
"It looks like just more Russian muscle flexing meant to intimidate the United States and to send a message that they're in control of the Baltic. That's their back yard and we better leave it alone...It looks like it's more of the ongoing effort on the part of Putin to send a message to the rest of the world that he's in charge wherever he wants to be in charge."
He claimed Putin acts this way because the Russian President knows it will not elicit a response from the Obama Administration.
"The problem is he has every reason to believe there are no consequences. This is very dangerous stuff. This is very intentional. It was over the course of two days, repeatedly, including jets flying by within 75 feet of parts of the ship. This is obviously not an accident. He does it because there are no consequences."
Toomey believes President Obama should take a more drastic action to send a message that threatening Navy ships will not be tolerated.
"I'm sure what will happen is someone in the State Department will give a very firm lecture to someone from Russia's foreign affairs department and, boy, that will really impress Putin. This strikes me as a good time for the Administration to very belatedly, maybe, consider reversing course on providing weapons to the Ukrainians."