What Indiana Congressional members are saying about the Russian attack on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin's pre-dawn attack against Ukraine drew International condemnation Thursday. The U.S. and Western allies are imposing sanctions against Moscow for the invasion.

Live updates: NATO leader calls Russian attack 'brutal act of war'

"This is a brutal act of war," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

The president convened the National Security Council in the Situation Room this morning, according to a tweet from the White House, to discuss how the United States will "hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine."

Biden announced new actions the U.S. will take against Russia Thursday afternoon, including imposing sanctions on banks and Russia's access to major currencies, Russian oligarchs and access to technological imports.

"Every asset they have in America will be frozen," Biden said in his address.

"We will continue to provide support and assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Biden said in a tweet.

IndyStar has asked all of Indiana's representatives and senators for comments on the situation.

Rep. Frank Mrvan, 1st District

On Thursday evening, Mrvan issued a statement in which he "strongly" condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and urging the importance of "a determined multilateral response" from the U.S.

"Russia's violation of the core principles that have maintained world peace in Europe since the end of World War II must be a shared responsibility and met with definitive actions taken by NATO and its allies," Mrvan said in the statement.

Mrvan also emphasized the importance of the United States' role within NATO and extending resources to Ukraine in order to help the nation protect its sovereignty.

"The world must send the clear message that democracies will defend sovereign nations attacked by autocratic regimes that callously violate every standard of civilized conduct," he said.

Rep. Jackie Walorski, 2nd District

Jackie Walorski issued a statement on Thursday, urging the United States to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine and calling Putin's actions "horrific."

"The American people stand with Ukrainians in their fight to defend their freedom against Russia's unprovoked aggression," she said in the statement. "Vladimir Putin chose war, and he must be held accountable. This is the time to meet Putin's horrific actions with crippling sanctions and serious consequences. As our adversaries watch, the Free World must act."

Walorski also tweeted out a series of suggestions to "make America safer & stronger," which included restoring U.S. energy independence, restarting the Keystone Pipeline and pursuing "peace through strength."

Rep. Jim Banks, 3rd District

In a tweeted statement, Jim Banks said he would be praying for the people of Ukraine and that the invasion was "completely avoidable" and would have "dire consequences."

"Putin and his oligarch thugs must be expelled from any and all luxuries of the free world," he said.

In January, Banks, as head of the Republican Study Committee, introduced the "Putin Accountability Act." The bill encouraged Biden to issue sanctions on Putin and the Russian Federation, though Russian troops had not yet invaded Ukraine. The legislation was introduced and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Rep. Victoria Spartz, 5th District

In her full statement, Victoria Spartz drew on her identity as a Ukrainian-born American "who deeply loves our great United States of America" to urge support for Ukraine.

"I would like to express my utmost disappointment with the lack of leadership on strategy on multiple fronts on the part of the current administration that puts our great country and our allies in danger," she said.

She also encouraged Americans to stand with Ukrainians "in their fight for peace and freedom against evil."

In January, Spartz traveled with a bipartisan congressional delegation to Brussels and Kyiv to participate in talks with NATO and the EU, as well as senior Ukranian officials, about the buildup of Russian troops at the Ukranian border and reinforce U.S. support for Ukrainian sovereignty.

Rep. Greg Pence, 6th District

Greg Pence encouraged Biden to "send a clear message to Russia that there will be real consequences for their actions."

"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a direct threat to our national security, world peace, and global stability," he said in a tweeted statement.

Rep. André Carson, 7th District

In a tweeted statement, André Carson stated his support for the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia's "unjust" attack.

"This is a clear power grab and act of aggression that could destabilize the world," he said. "The U.S. must continue doing all we can to stop this war and hold Russia accountable."

Rep. Larry Bucshon, 8th District

In a statement, Larry Bucshon called the Russian invasion of Ukraine a "savage violation of international law that have put countless innocent lives at risk."

"The United States and our allies must stand firm and protect the freedom and sovereignty of Ukraine, and Putin’s actions must be met with swift and severe consequences,” he said.

Bucshon also advocated for isolating Russia from its energy sources, oil and natural gas, to decrease "Putin's only geopolitical leverage."

Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, 9th District

In a statement posted to Facebook, Trey Hollingsworth decried Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Vladimir Putin’s unwarranted attacks on Ukraine are an aggressive escalation that impend catastrophic effects on independence and freedom in the region as well as jeopardize global security," he said in the statement. "Our country must stand united with our global allies and prevent further terrorization of a fellow democratic nation and growing threats to our way of life."

Sen. Todd Young

Todd Young condemned Putin's attack on Ukraine in a series of tweets.

In the statement, Young said that "American strength and leadership in this moment is critical," and affirmed support for the sanctions against Russia that Biden previously announced.

“In the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, the United States must be united and resolute," Young said in the statement. "Sanctions announced earlier this week by President Biden are a positive step, as are ongoing efforts to rally our NATO allies. We should immediately impose the strongest possible economic sanctions to make Putin a global outcast."

“The stakes extend beyond Europe, as China is watching us and clearly has the same ambitions for Taiwan," Young's statement continued. "It is essential that America sends an unequivocal message: invading sovereign, democratic nations will never be tolerated.”

Sen. Mike Braun

In a statement, Mike Braun encouraged American energy independence, expressing that he had hoped the U.S. would proactively shut down assets like Nord Stream 2, in light of Russia's "unjustified" invasion of Ukraine.

"Putin and his cronies must now be punished with severe economic consequences for their unjustified invasion of Ukraine," he said. "The U.S. must unleash independent American energy production to lessen the pain of rising fuel prices on Americans, and the U.S. must be watchful to avoid endangering U.S. troops by involving them further in this volatile situation."

Mike Pence, former vice president, Indiana governor

Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke with Fox News host Sean Hannity prior to the early-morning attack on Ukraine. However, he said at that time that his view was “with Russian military in the separatist regions, they’ve already invaded Ukraine."

"The way to stop them and more importantly to get them to withdraw, is number one, we need to continue to arm Ukraine," Pence said. "They're not a NATO ally. We don't have a mutual defense obligation, but we ought to be shipping more and more armaments, anti-tank missiles."

Pence also reiterated his support for harsh sanctions towards Russia, especially ones that would impact the financial sector.

"This initial round of sanctions, weak as it is, is not enough to stop Putin’s ambitions to redraw territory lines in Europe by force," he said. "We ought to sanction every financial institution in Russia until the Russian military withdraws from Ukraine.”

USA TODAY contributed to this report. Contact IndyStar trending reporter Claire Rafford at crafford@gannett.com or on Twitter @clairerafford.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Russian attack on Ukraine: Indiana leaders respond