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Reed praises Cummins board for suspending operations in Russia

U.S. Rep. Tom Reed believes Cummins made the right decision to suspend operations in Russia.

“I applaud that decision by Cummins,” Reed said Wednesday during a conference call with media from the 23rd district.

Reed noted that he and others had met with the chief executive officer of McDonald’s regarding its decision to suspend operations as well, due to the invasion of Ukraine. “This aggression cannot stand and not only do they (Russia) face sanctions coming from our allies that have united on that front, the private world and corporate America are also sending a message to Russia that this has to end, this has to come to a peaceful conclusion sooner rather than later,” he said.

On March 17, Cummins’ Board of Directors made the decision to suspend all commercial operations in Russia indefinitely. “We are now taking steps to wind down operations expeditiously,” the company said in a news released posted on its website. “Our primary concern has been and remains the safety and well-being of those whose lives have been affected by this alarming situation.”

Reed would like to see other businesses follow suit. “Hopefully all other private entities that have not made that decision will join with us and stand in unison to send that message,” he said.

When asked, Reed said he couldn’t justify any private industry doing business in Russia as long as it has troops in Ukraine. “With the killing of women and children and the humanitarian crisis that is being created by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and the deaths and destruction that they are doing to innocent people, I just think I’m not aware of any business that would get my support that they stay in operation with Russia,” he said.

That said, Reed is not calling for the federal government to require businesses pull out of Russia. “We in America respect private property, we respect the ownership structures of the private system and so it’s very tough to nationalize and say in America that we’re going to force private industry by government fiat in Washington, D.C. to do this. … I’m just glad to see that the private sector of America is standing to a large degree, if not united with us, in that message to say that this is unacceptable,” he said.

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