Buckeye Reporter

 U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) spoke on the Senate floor today to discuss the hostile actions taken by Russia that threaten Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty. Portman talked about his recent bipartisan delegation with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) where they were able to meet with President Zelenskyy about the importance of the United States’ support for Ukraine. Portman noted that NATO allies have been coming together to support Ukraine, with the exception of Germany, and he noted his disappointment with its lack of full support.

Portman made the point that he believes bipartisan action is possible, and it is his hope Congress is able to come together to pass legislation that will deter Russian invasion, and ensure Ukraine and its patriotic people remain strong in their quest for freedom.

A transcript of his remarks can be found below and a video can be found here.

“I'm here today to talk about the escalating aggression by Russia against Ukraine - an ally and a sovereign country whose territorial integrity is once again under attack. In our generation, this is where the fight for freedom is being held. This is where it's being waged, and it's going to affect not just Ukraine and Eastern Europe, but countries all over the world, depending on the outcome. 

“Today, I'm going to address what I think the appropriate role is for us as Americans. What more we can do to help avoid what could become an international disaster and a humanitarian crisis. Russia is the aggressor here. Having invaded Ukraine twice in the past eight years, illegally annexing Crimea, inserting troops and offensive military weaponry into the Donbas region of Ukraine, initiating cyber-attacks against public and private entities in Ukraine, and using disinformation to try to destabilize the democratically elected government in Ukraine. Now they've gone further by amassing more than 100,000 troops under the command of 100 tactical groups on Russia's Ukrainian border.

“This Russian deployment includes rockets and tanks and artillery and is no longer just on the Eastern border of Ukraine. But it's now across the borders, including the Northern border, where Russian combat troops and heavy equipment have gone into Belarus. And on the Belarus-Ukrainian border, a Russian presence is being felt. It's also in Crimea and in the Black Sea area, where Russia is taking advantage of their illegal annexation to move troops into those areas close to Ukraine. 

“To give you a little history about how we got here - eight years ago, the people of Ukraine made a clear choice. They stood up to a Russian-backed corrupt government in 2014 and made a conscious decision to turn to the west, to the European Union, to us, the United States of America. I was in Ukraine in 2014, shortly after what is called the Euromaidan, also the Revolution of Dignity. The barricades were still there, and in the center of town, the Maidan in Kiev was occupied still by Ukrainian patriots, insisting that Ukraine chart its own course. The Ukrainian people had rejected authoritarianism and instead embraced freedom, embraced democracy, freedom of speech, freedom to gather, freedom for the respect of law, respect for the judicial institutions in the country and free markets. 

“Now, have they stumbled along the way sometimes with regard to reforms, including of the judicial system? Yes, of course, most fledgling democracies do. All of them do. But they've made tremendous progress. And they're on their way toward becoming what they wanted to become at the time, eight years ago, when again, this Revolution of Dignity was called the Euromaidan, more like a Western European or Eastern European country that's part of the EU. 

“Despite Russia's unrelenting efforts to destabilize Ukraine over the past eight years, the people of Ukraine have remained committed to this independent, sovereign and Democratic principle, that vision. And Ukrainians today are actually increasingly patriotic and opposed to the Russian efforts to destabilize their country. According to polling data, this sentiment is especially true among young people, which makes sense because they've tasted the fruits of freedom, free enterprise, the ability to express themselves, the ability to connect with the rest of the free world. They don't want state control, they don't want repression, they don't want fear. Instead, they want liberty and prosperity. 

“Moscow and Russia would have the world believe that somehow this massive, unwarranted Russian buildup is about trying to shore up its border against threats from Ukraine and from NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course, this is patently false. Ukraine's military posture has always been defensive. And unlike Russia, Ukraine has upheld its commitments under the Minsk agreements, which were designed to ensure a ceasefire in the Donbas region, the Eastern part of Ukraine. NATO, of course, is defensive. It's not an offensive group and is no threat to Russian territorial integrity.

“My hope is that Congress can come together this week, Republicans, Democrats, Senate and House, and issue a strong message to the people of Ukraine that we stand with them in their fight for freedom. To Russia, that if they choose to invade, the armed conflict will carry a heavy cost, and the sanctions that would result from that would be devastating. And then to the world that the U.S. stands with its allies, not just in Eastern Europe, but throughout the freedom loving countries of the world. I'm hoping Congress will pass an extensive sanctions package, including increased security funding for Ukraine, more resources for cybersecurity, and funding for the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. State Department to help push back on Russian disinformation. 

“I want to say a word about our allies. In many respects, I believe that what Vladimir Putin has done by these aggressive actions we talked about is to strengthen the transatlantic alliance, including those countries that are part of NATO, but well beyond that. In countries in other parts of the world that understand that this is about the cause of freedom. So many have stepped up. Denmark is providing F-16 jets to nearby Lithuania. Spain is sending ships to join a NATO fleet. France is getting ready to send troops to Romania, they say. The United Kingdom has sent anti-tank weapons directly to Kiev and supported Ukraine in so many ways. When I was in Ukraine recently, I was there to see a cargo plane unload anti tank weapons from the UK to Ukraine. 

“And recently, the United States has not just increased our military assistance to Ukraine to help it defend itself, but also we have placed 8,500 of our troops on heightened alert to go be with our NATO allies in the region in Eastern Europe. They, of course, welcome that. Ukraine, by the way, has never asked for U.S. troops or NATO troops to defend Ukraine. They have asked for help to be able to defend themselves, and that's an important distinction. 

“On the Russian pipeline to Europe called Nord Stream, I think it was a bad idea before all this started. I think it's even a worse idea now. Russia provides Germany with roughly a third of their natural gas supply already, a dependency that will increase substantially with the activation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Let's not forget that this multi-billion dollar pipeline is one that this body, the United States Senate, chose not to impose sanctions on just a few weeks ago after we had already done so once before on a bipartisan basis. And I will say the vote last week was not 60 votes, but it was a majority of this body voting to impose sanctions because, again, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a bad idea in terms of the dependency of Europe on Russia.

“Once the pipeline is complete, it'll supply a lot of Russian gas to Germany and the rest of Europe. And Russia will use it as a political weapon. We've seen this. This is no surprise that they would do it. They did it in Moldova. Of course, they've done it in Ukraine. Even today, German prices are being affected by what Russia decides is appropriate. Germany has told us privately that they are willing to shut down the pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, but they should say so publicly and clearly.

“I'm also concerned about Germany's resistance to approving arms sales to Ukraine. Again, Ukraine just wants the help to be able to defend itself. A great example of this are some artillery pieces that were made in East Germany decades ago. Those artillery pieces, those howitzers, are now in the hands of the Estonians. The Estonians want to provide these weapons to the Ukrainians. Ukrainians want them, even though they're older, howitzers. They need them, need the artillery. And yet, because they were made in Germany, in East Germany decades ago, under the licensing agreement, Germany has to approve Estonia sending Ukraine these weapons they so desperately need. That approval has not been forthcoming. To me this is outrageous that Ukraine is not receiving the weapons it needs because another country, part of the NATO alliance, is saying that they are not going to approve the transfer. I hope that will change. I hope very soon we'll see that transfer approved. 

“Germany, by the way, might say that, as I've heard from some and I've had conversations about this with them, that they don't like to send weapons into hotspots. Well, they're certainly happy to send weapons into the Middle East. In fact, last year, as I understand it was their largest year ever of exports of military weapons made in Germany to other countries, including to countries like Egypt, as an example. So we need to be sure that we're doing all we can to avoid Russia making this terrible mistake. And a big part of this should be all the countries in the region certainly our NATO allies standing up and providing military assistance to Ukraine and making clear that if something happens, that the consequences will be devastating because of sanctions. 

“The cause of freedom in Eastern Europe is at stake here, but so is really the stability of all of Europe. The Ukrainian officials themselves have talked about this. The Foreign Minister Kuleba, who I met with recently in Ukraine, stated that Germany is taking a stance that 'does not correspond with the level of our relations and the current security situation.' I agree.

“People listening may be wondering, why should the United States get engaged here and why is this Senator from Ohio passionate about this? Well, first, in Ohio, we have a lot of Ukrainians I've gotten to know over the years, and it's not just about the Ukrainian Americans in Ohio. It's about people from all over that part of the world, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, certainly the Baltics, Lithuania, Latvia. The people who I talk to tell me that this is, again, a seminal moment, not just in the history of Ukraine, but in the history of our world, because, again, it is the fight for freedom being played out right before our eyes. 

“These nationality groups, including, of course, the Ukrainian Americans, are deeply concerned that this continued aggression unchecked will lead to other countries, including the Baltics, including Poland, and others being subject to the same kind of pressure from Russia. But it's also because I believe what happens in Ukraine does affect the cause of freedom more broadly. Countries all over the world are watching, authoritarian countries are watching, democratically elected countries are watching. And they're wondering, in the 21st century, are we going to allow something like this to occur, that one country looks to another and says, I want that country, so I'm going to invade and take that land again.

“Until we had the invasion of Crimea only eight years ago, this hadn't happened in almost 80 years, since World War II on the continent of Europe. This is something that countries are watching to get a message, to see whether the United States is going to continue to be the country that joins with others, including our NATO alliance, but a much broader group of freedom loving countries to stand up for the cause of freedom. And to stand up for the right of a sovereign country to be able to protect its own borders. 

“I recently joined a bipartisan delegation led by me and my good friend Senator Jean Shaheen. Senator Murphy, who was on the floor tonight, was also with us. We personally met with President Zelenskyy. We also met with four or five other cabinet officials, including the Secretary of Defense. We talked about the US commitment to provide military assistance to ensure Ukraine can defend itself and deter the threat. And if you talk to these individuals and you talk to the military officials we talk to and the commanders and I've also been to the line of contact where this hot war is going on with Russia even today in the Donbas region. I've been there. I've talked to the troops. You will see that there is a commitment, a strong commitment by the Ukrainians to defend themselves. They get it that this is a critical time in their history. 

“We tried to send a clear message on a bipartisan basis. I believe we did. I believe that this time, this time, unlike 2014 when, frankly, Ukraine and the world wasn't ready, that the situation is very different. The military is prepared. The people of Ukraine have a strong sense of nationalism and a deep patriotism and they will fight and this will be a bloody conflict that we all want to avoid. The other thing I will say about Ukraine is they're our friends. They are our allies. They share our values. When the United States was looking for help in Iraq and Afghanistan some NATO partners came through but so did Ukraine. Ukrainian troops were shoulder to shoulder with American troops during some very tough situations in those countries. These are our friends. This is a country that is allied with us because they believe that that is the best future for the Ukrainian people. It's time for us to stand with them in response to this unwarranted and unprovoked Russian aggression.

“My hope is that Congress will act on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, House and Senate Republicans and Democrats and send a strong message to Russia that would avoid a bloody conflict, deter them from taking the actions that they're contemplating and making a terrible mistake. But also that we would send a strong message to the people of Ukraine to give them strength during this time. And finally a message to the global community that the lamp of freedom will not be extinguished. I yield back my time.”