Baltic States – CIS, Latvia, Legislation, Security, USA

U.S. Sanators and Andris Berzins. Riga, 15.04.2014. Photo: president.lv

The Senator emphasized, however, that sanctions must be "forceful", and "carefully planned." In his view, Vladimir Putin's "conduct in the 21st century is unacceptable, and he must be made to understand that attacking one means attacking all."

''The current sanctions are not strong enough, and we must give a clear signal to Putin that we will work together,'' McCain emphasized.

At the same time, he pointed out to the necessity to equip Ukraine with military equipment, including body armor as well as night-vision equipment.

Asked how he views Russia's arguments that it is protecting its compatriots abroad, McCain said that ''we would all like to protect our own people, but if every country started using military force to achieve this, the world would see another global conflict''.

During a meeting with members of the press, Senator John Hoeven pointed out that the visit to Latvia lets them see what is happening on the ground. ''We must give Putin a signal that more diplomatic and economic sanctions will follow,'' Hoeven said.

He and Senator John Barrasso pointed out that the U.S. is constantly looking for new energy partners, adding that energy is one of the main reasons why the Putin regime is still functioning. Barrasso also admitted that acquiring new energy markets takes some time, but that it is an accomplishable task.