'I have no illusions or worry about the long-term future of Russia,' McCain says. McCain: Russia is a 'gas station'

Sen. John McCain lit into Russia and President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, describing Russia as “a gas station masquerading as a country” on the Senate floor.

While most of their colleagues were at a party lunch, McCain and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) took a broadside to Putin and Russia, portraying the country’s government as little other than a petrochemical exporter.


“I have no illusions or worry about the long-term future of Russia. Russia is now a gas station masquerading as a country,” McCain said.

“They are an oil and gas company masquerading as a country,” Graham agreed.

( Also on POLITICO: Obama: Putin will lose — eventually)

But in addition to their zingers, the hawkish GOP stalwarts also raised grave concerns that Putin will be emboldened by the easy manner in which the Crimean Peninsula was seized by Russia. They worry that Moldova, or Eastern Ukraine could be next.

“The value system of Mr. Putin is that of a KGB colonel,” Graham said. “I understand where he is coming from because of his value system. I just don’t agree with it. But what we can’t do is let him affect those who are living around him who want to go a different path, because the day you begin to do that, it never works out well. In World War II, every time somebody gave Hitler a little of this and a little of that, eventually it never works out well.”

“Vladimir Putin’s forces are on the border of Eastern Ukraine right now, and they are poised to invade. They even have forces in Belarus and Vladimir Putin is figuring out the cost-benefit ratio to moving into Ukraine,” McCain added.