“From the very first minute of Russian aggression, Russia has strongly rejected the fact that Russian armed forces are engaged in aggression against the state of Ukraine, engaged in the chemical attack in Syria, took part or are somehow related to the poisoning in Salisbury. …

“The slogan ‘they are not there’ is no longer accepted anywhere in the world.”

– President Petro Poroshenko speaking on April 10 at a joint news briefing in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“…Russia continues to act aggressively, enabled by years of soft policy toward that aggression. That’s now over. The list of this administration’s actions to raise the cost for Vladimir Putin is long. We are rebuilding our already strong military and recapitalizing our nuclear deterrent. We have imposed tough sanctions and expelled more Russian diplomats and intelligence officers from the U.S. than at any time since the Cold War. We are arming brave young men and women resisting Russian expansionism in Ukraine and Georgia. This list is much longer, and I’m confident I’ll have the opportunity to add to it today. But the actions of this administration make clear that President Trump’s national security strategy, rightfully, has identified Russia as a danger to our country. Our diplomatic efforts with Russia will prove challenging, but as in previous confrontations with Moscow, must continue.”

– Excerpt from the prepared testimony of CIA Director Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, April 11. Source: www.whitehouse.gov.