Sen. Murphy: Putin Should Not be Allowed 'Back Into the World Order'

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., suggested in his "Meet the Press" appearance on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be allowed back into the "world order" but only if the West forgoes energy dependence with Russia and becomes energy independent.

During the interview host, Chuck Todd asked Murphy, "are we going to let Putin back into the world order, even incrementally, if there is some sort of ceasefire? I mean, the answer, probably – look, if Zelenskyy negotiates this week, we may have to. How does that work? Is he going to be less of a pariah than, say, Fidel Castro was for 50 years?"

"[Putin] was in the world order because we allowed for our allies and the United States to be dependent on the products that he produced," Murphy told Todd. "So no, we should not allow Vladimir Putin back into the world order. But we should also be wise to the fact that this is the moment to make the United States, Europe, the rest of the world independent of the product that Russia makes, oil and gas. And if we don't do that, then you will ultimately be forced to keep him at the table." 

The Hill reports that Ukrainian officials have engaged in peace talks, but so far, no agreements have been made. 

Murphy adds that, "this is ultimately up to President Zelenskyy as to the terms of this agreement. But if President Zelenskyy makes the choice to reject these claims of annexation, the United States people will be with him. The United States will stand with Ukraine if that is a bottom line for the Ukrainian government."

"I think neutrality is on the table. I think sort of increased devolution of power to some of these eastern regions should be on the table. Annexation will be a very tough pill for Zelenskyy to swallow, and the United States is going to support him in whatever decision he makes."