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UKRAINE
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I rise today in support of my resolution to convey strong bipartisan opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked aggression against the United States' partner, Ukraine. I was proud to lead this resolution with Senator Rob Portman, in addition to Senators Durbin, Cornyn, Menendez, and Risch, and was pleased to see 38 Senators join this resolution and push for its passage.
As the Senate prepared to adjourn for the next week, Senator Portman and I believed it was absolutely critical that we deliver this message of strong bipartisan support for the brave and resilient people of Ukraine. It is important to send a message of bipartisan resolve and to stand up to Putin in response to his continued aggression and especially given recent indications that he is increasingly likely to eschew the diplomatic path available and further invade Ukraine. And as I join a large bipartisan delegation to the Munich Security Forum this weekend, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed that it was paramount that the Senate pass this resolution. This resolution demonstrates the fierce bipartisan support for the NATO, for the transatlantic alliance, for our democratic partners in Ukraine and in repudiation of Putin's efforts to violate Ukraine's sovereignty.
This Senate has a long history of supporting an independent and democratic Ukraine. Since Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, this Congress has provided more than $2.7 billion in security assistance and supported critical reforms to help Ukraine on its journey to greater euro-Atlantic integration.
I am proud to have been involved in a number of bipartisan efforts to support Ukraine. Last month, I traveled to Ukraine with Senator Portman as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and his national security team to discuss the Russian threat and how the United States can help our Ukrainian friends. In January, I reaffirmed the United States' commitment to our democratic partners, which I also shared during a congressional delegation visit last June, that our Nation believes fervently that Ukraine and Ukraine alone should determine its future.
In our meetings, the message from the Ukrainians was clear. They see their future in partnership with the West. They share our democratic values, and their people are proud of their hard-won independence. I would like to make one point perfectly clear: The unprecedented Russian threat to Ukraine's sovereignty is on Vladimir Putin and no one else. He has designed this crisis to advance his own revanchist agenda. The global community is not blind to his malign ambitions. He wants to reconstruct the Soviet Union and recreate his own sphere of interest. And he--wrongfully--sees Ukraine as part of this authoritarian future.
Putin wants to diminish the U.S. presence in Europe and to rewrite the European security order for his benefit and in blatant disregard for previous international agreements and treaties that Russia signed. And Putin has shown repeated attempts to subvert democratic institutions in the United States, threaten our election security, attack our infrastructure, and compromise the sovereignty of our allies around the globe.
This is why what happens in Ukraine matters to the United States. How we respond to Putin's aggression against Ukraine will have implications for our national security and global stability for decades to come. It is important that we stand up for our values. It is necessary that we stand up to protect our national security. And it is critical that we continue to uphold and protect the European security order that has afforded us peace and prosperity for over 70 years. As Putin tries to dismantle and divide the very alliance that has kept us safe for over 70 years, it is all the more important that we strengthen our resolve through a strong message of unbreakable unity.
This is why the passage of today's bipartisan resolution on Ukraine is so important. I want to covey my appreciation to Senator Portman for his work and leadership. Especially on this issue, we believe that bipartisanship is critical in advancing U.S. foreign policy, especially in support of our partner, Ukraine. And we must lead by example and convey, as we have done to our Ukrainian partners and our transatlantic allies, that we must not leave any space for Putin to sow further discord.
On Monday, I spoke on the floor and said that the Senate does not have a choice; we must send a message of strong, unequivocal bipartisan resolve. And today, we did just that.
Along with my fellow Senators, I wish to send an unequivocal message to Putin; you will not divide this Senate. You will not divide this country. And you will not divide the transatlantic alliance. Diplomacy remains an option to deescalate this situation and pursue a peaceful resolution. But if Putin decides to further invade Ukraine, he will only succeed in uniting us all--Democrats, Republicans, Americans, and the transatlantic alliance--in sending a message of unmistakable resolve against his belligerence.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 32
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