PoliticsPoliticsrussia ukraine Bob Menendez

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez: It's Time To Arm Ukraine

Senator Says It's Time To Arm Ukraine
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WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 08:Committee chairman Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) questions U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing concerning the 2015 international affairs budget on Capitol Hill April 8, 2014 in Washington, DC. Kerry discussed a wide range of topics, including the conflict in Syria, relations with Iran, and also discussed the possibility of additional economic sanctions on Russia. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Senate Foreign Relations Chair Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said it's time for President Barack Obama's administration to arm Ukraine in the face of a Russian "invasion."

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" from Ukraine's capital Kiev, Menendez said Russian President Vladimir Putin has "sized up" the west and decided that it will not give Ukraine enough aid to defend itself.

NATO estimates there are 1,000 Russian troops in Ukraine, but Obama has avoided calling that an "invasion," perhaps worried about the obligations that might follow.

Menendez said what the Russians are up to is clearly an invasion, and argued that it's time to act.

"We have to give the Ukrainians the fighting chance to defend themselves," he said.

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Before You Go

Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine
(01 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on an APC in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolled through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(02 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on an APC in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolled through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(03 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on an APC in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolled through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(04 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebel rides on an APC in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolled through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(05 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on a truck in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolled through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(06 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on an APC in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolled through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(07 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on a tank near the town of Makeyevka, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014. Hundreds of Russian aid trucks returned home from rebel-held eastern Ukraine on Saturday, highlighting a dire need for long-term assistance to the region where homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by months of fighting. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(08 of22)
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A Pro-Russian rebel passes by a car which was hit by shrapnel from a shell after shelling in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. The Obama administration accused Russia on Wednesday of orchestrating a new military campaign in Ukraine, helping rebel forces expand their fight in the country's east and sending tanks, rocket launchers and armored vehicles toward communities elsewhere. (AP Photo / Mstislav Chernov) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(09 of22)
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FILE - This is a Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014 file photo of a pro-Russian missile launcher as it drives in the town of Krasnodon. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolling through rebel-held territory on Aug. 17. AP reporters say convoys of military weaponry and supplies have been coming from the direction of Russia into rebel-held Ukraine. Rebel fighters also described how Russian border guards did nothing to stop them. Associated Press reporters in the eastern Ukrainian town of Krasnodon observed three such convoys last week. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(10 of22)
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FILE - This is a Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014 file photo of pro-Russian rebels as they ride on a tank in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolling through rebel-held territory on Aug. 17. AP reporters say convoys of military weaponry and supplies have been coming from the direction of Russia into rebel-held Ukraine. Rebel fighters also described how Russian border guards did nothing to stop them. Associated Press reporters in the eastern Ukrainian town of Krasnodon observed three such convoys last week. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(11 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on a tank near the town of Makeyevka, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014. Hundreds of Russian aid trucks returned home from rebel-held eastern Ukraine on Saturday, highlighting a dire need for long-term assistance to the region where homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by months of fighting. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(12 of22)
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FILE - This is a Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014 file photo of Pro-Russian rebels as they ride on an armored jeep in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolling through rebel-held territory on Aug. 17. AP reporters say convoys of military weaponry and supplies have been coming from the direction of Russia into rebel-held Ukraine. Rebel fighters also described how Russian border guards did nothing to stop them. Associated Press reporters in the eastern Ukrainian town of Krasnodon observed three such convoys last week. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(13 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on an APC in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolled through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(14 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels ride on a tank in the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. A column of several dozen heavy vehicles, including tanks and at least one rocket launcher, rolling through rebel-held territory on Sunday.(AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(15 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels guard a border crossing point "Izvaryne" on Ukrainian-Russian border , eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Tanks and APC's manoeuvre on the Ukrainian side of Ukrainian-Russia border as the humanitarian convoy on the other side of the frontier is still unmoved. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(16 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels guard a board crossing point "Izvaryne" on Ukrainian-Russian border , eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Tanks and APC's maneuver on the Ukrainian side of Ukrainian-Russia border as the humanitarian convoy on the other side of the frontier is still unmoved. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(17 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels talk with a local woman as they guard a border crossing point in "Izvaryne" on Ukrainian-Russian border, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Tanks and APC's manoeuvre on the Ukrainian side of Ukrainian-Russia border as the humanitarian convoy on the other side of the frontier is still unmoved. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(18 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels park a tank on their base near the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Tanks and APC's manoeuvre on the Ukrainian side of Ukrainian-Russia border as the humanitarian convoy on the other side of the frontier is still unmoved. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(19 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels park a tank on their base near the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Tanks and APC's manoeuvre on the Ukrainian side of Ukrainian-Russia border as the humanitarian convoy on the other side of the frontier is still unmoved. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(20 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels park a tank on their base near the town of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Tanks and APC's manoeuvre on the Ukrainian side of Ukrainian-Russia border as the humanitarian convoy on the other side of the frontier is still unmoved. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(21 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels guard a board crossing point "Izvaryne" on Ukrainian-Russian border , eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Tanks and APC's manoeuvre on the Ukrainian side of Ukrainian-Russia border as the humanitarian convoy on the other side of the frontier is still unmoved. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(22 of22)
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Pro-Russian rebels on a tank drive on a road in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Fighting raged Sunday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk despite a request from the pro-Russian rebels there for a cease-fire to prevent a "humanitarian catastrophe." One person was killed and 10 injured in shelling that started early Sunday morning and continued into the day, city council spokesman Maxim Rovinsky told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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