"To say there are no [ramifications], and our avowed purpose is to tell Russia ‘you can’t tell us what to do,’ sounds a little schoolyardish to me and maybe not completely thought through or a balanced opinion," Paul stated in a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
Additionally, Paul questioned whether it was more important for the United States to maintain diplomatic ties with Montenegro or Russia.
Paul noted that the United States is in the middle of an armed conflict in Syria, and explained that "by most analysis, including the [Obama] administration’s, Russia is part of the solution."
In May, NATO foreign ministers signed an accession protocol paving the way for Montenegro to join the military bloc. The US Senate held a hearing to discuss Montenegro’s membership, which it must approve.