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Ukraine
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from the great State of Ohio, Senator Portman, to share with the Senate and the country some of the things that we learned from our recent trip to Ukraine.
I first want to thank Senator Portman. He comes to the floor every week--never gives up, whether things are good or bad--to talk about what is happening in Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy was incredibly grateful--that was the first thing he wanted us to report back to the Senate and to the country--
incredibly grateful for all America has done to stand with Ukraine.
We know that this is a country that has given its all. Sometimes we wonder in our own country: What would we put on the line for democracy? Are we going to vote? Or things like that. The people in this country have put their very lives on the line every single day: ballerinas donning camo and going to the frontline; exhausted workers at a nuclear plant trying to protect not just Ukraine but all of Europe in what is the biggest nuclear powerplant in Europe and which supplies 20 percent of Ukrainian energy; the cellist playing beautiful melodies in the bombed-out remnants of a town square to remind people that no matter what Vladimir Putin did to their country, no matter what he did with his inhumane barbarism, culture and love is there in Ukraine, and it is not going away.
Senator Portman and I visited the mass grave in Bucha, and in Irpin we saw many, many apartment buildings that were completely blown apart from the bombs.
We saw firsthand the strength of the Ukrainian people and their leaders. But just as Vladimir Putin has shown his true colors with the bombing and the shelling near a nuclear powerplant, the people of Ukraine have shown their colors in a brilliant yellow and blue. Over the past 6 months since the invasion, their bravery and humanity consistently shine through.
We had, together, traveled to Ukraine. And the last group of Senators who visited before the war started was Senators Shaheen, Murphy, Blumenthal, Cramer, and Wicker. We witnessed the incredible resolve of the people back then, and it has only grown stronger.
In our meeting with President Zelenskyy for over an hour and with Defense Minister Reznikov and the President's Chief of Staff, we heard, time and time again: the helpfulness of the HIMARS. In fact, the Embassy staff told us that they went to a takeout place in Ukraine and that the people who worked in the restaurant didn't even know they were with our Embassy but knew they were American, and they gave them their bag of food, and on the bag was written the words ``Thanks for the HIMARS.'' That is how the people of Ukraine are focused day in and day out on what is happening in their region.
We also, of course, talk about the counteroffensive, and I know Senator Portman will talk in detail about what is happening. And we know the fight is not over. Russia has retaliated by striking infrastructure just in the last few days, and Ukraine is still on the move. But, if anything, this is certainly a sign that our aid--our humanitarian aid, our economic aid, and our military aid--has been very helpful.
The situation, of course, remains dangerous, especially in the Zaporizhzhia region, where the nuclear powerplant is located. We have a situation where the Russians have been bombing and shelling around that plant, where several times Ukrainians have lost power for the power that powers that plant. But also, of course, that plant provides energy. All of it is dangerous.
We called for the IAEA when we were there--they visited literally the next day--to be able to inspect that plant. They were able to--14 inspectors, with 2 being allowed to stay on indefinitely. And, of course, we have called for a demilitarized zone, as has our government.
We also got to meet with the 101st Airborne in Poland, and they, again, underscored our commitment to our NATO allies, the work they have been doing, including helping the Ukrainians remotely to make repairs on various missiles and various weapons and the like. It is an incredible story.
Last week, our administration reported that Moscow is in the process of purchasing rockets and artillery shells from North Korea. It shows how much trouble they are in.
This Senate voted nearly unanimously to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO. That must happen as quickly as possible because we want to see a united front. As Senator Portman pointed out many times on our trip, there are over 40 nations that are aiding in this effort; it is not America alone.
I always think of that viral video that President Zelenskyy did. He knew the importance of staying in his country and not abandoning his post when the Russians invaded. If you think back to that day, if he had done that, if he had left for a safer location, we would never be where we are today, standing up for democracy. But what he said that night was simply this: We are here. He said: We are here. From that moment on, he and his people inspired the world. Now it is our time to ensure the Ukrainians--as we move forward with our next continuing resolution and supplemental with the budget--that we are here for them; that we know what they are up against, and it is evil, and we stand with their democracy.
Again, I want to thank Senator Portman for his incredible leadership in working with our leadership, our military, but also the Ukrainian leadership. They know him well.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Minnesota who just talked about our recent visit to Ukraine, where we were able to meet with President Zelenskyy and his top officials and see firsthand what you can see on TV. But, frankly, the emotion and just the incredible courage of the Ukrainian people, when you see it in person, is much more powerful, including going to an airport right outside of Kyiv where a bunch of inexperienced National Guard troops were able to fight off a larger and very seasoned group of Russian and Chechen special operators who landed at that airport.
This was back on February 24. You may remember seeing this on television. I remember watching CNN and seeing these Russian troops landing one after another. Twenty-five helicopters came in, and they were going to use that as a staging area, as you said so well, to not just take Kyiv but take the entire country and topple the government. And this small band of National Guard troops, fighting for their family, fighting for their homeland, and fighting for freedom, as they told us, were able to instead defeat this group of highly trained Chechen and Russian special operators and turn the tide. Within 3 days, they had routed them. Thanks to their bravery and courage, they were not able to use that staging area to then go into the city of Kyiv, which is only about 30 minutes away, and be able to topple that government.
I remember we asked the commander whom we saw there, who was the commander that night when these helicopters arrived: How did you do it? Like, how could this have been possible, that you could fight off these more experienced troops and the world's third biggest army? And his response was: Because I was fighting for my family. Remember that? So we saw constantly.
Senator Klobuchar was always good about ensuring that the people of Ukraine knew that we were standing with them and that we understood the challenge they face and the fact that this is not just a fight for freedom in Ukraine but a fight for freedom that affects all of us around the world. They are the shield, really, of freedom--certainly for Europe and for so much of the rest of the world.
So I appreciate your, again, going with me on the trip.
We took the last congressional delegation into Ukraine before the invasion and now the first authorized one, I guess, after. There is so much we were able to learn when we were there because it was a time when the U.N. inspectors were coming into Zaporizhzhia. This is the biggest powerplant in Europe that Senator Klobuchar just talked about. Thank goodness they were able to get to the plant, inspect the plant, and make some changes to try to keep the plant from leaking radioactive material that has the potential to be another Chernobyl and also make a very declarative statement that you must demilitarize that zone, which the Russians still have not done. In fact, they have done just the opposite. They have used that plant as, effectively, a military base by having their military there, using the plant as a shield to fire on Ukrainian positions.
They have also destroyed infrastructure going into Ukraine from that plant, which is very dangerous, but they have used explosives to do so to try to cut off the electricity going into Ukraine because they would like to take that electricity and direct it, instead, to Russia and to Crimea. These are dangerous, dangerous games.
We have seen them play politics with food, destroying bins of grain all along the southern coast of Ukraine, stopping the ships from going out. Finally now, because of the U.N. and Turkey and the negotiations, some ships are going out. But they have used food as a weapon. They have certainly used energy as a weapon. They continue to do so every day, as they are doing in Europe, as they cut off even the Nord Stream 1 Pipeline to Europe, insisting the Europeans give up on their sanctions, which need to be tightened, if anything. Now they are actually using a nuclear powerplant as a weapon of war--not just incredibly irresponsible but dangerously reckless and risking a catastrophe.
So, again, I appreciate Senator Klobuchar coming with me. I appreciate her leadership on this issue. We have tried to keep this issue totally nonpartisan, not just bipartisan. The members of the Ukraine Caucus, including Senator Klobuchar and myself, continue to meet regularly and get updates as to what is going on in Ukraine and ensure that we are doing our part here as a leader of freedom-loving countries all over the world.
As she said, there are many other countries participating. In fact, there were 50 countries at the recent conference on providing defensive military assistance to Ukraine. At least 42 countries have provided serious weapons, like these longer range artillery weapons that are so essential to Ukraine's success.
So this is not just America alone, but America has a unique leadership role to play here. That is what we have seen so far. As we come upon another vote here in the U.S. Senate and the House over the next couple of weeks, we have to ensure that we continue to take that leadership role.
I have come to the floor every week for the past 21 weeks--this is the 22nd week--while we have been in session since the invasion began, and the focus has been often about kind of grim news about what Russia is doing: the murders, the rapes, the fact that they are constantly bombing civilian targets, not just apartment buildings but hospitals and schools. It is a grim story, and it is a sobering experience to see this, as we did in Irpin and in Bucha, to see the ditch that the Russians dug to be able to dump the bodies that have been tortured and murdered.
But today I am, fortunately, able to talk about some much more positive news, which is that, at a time of all these tragic circumstances, the Ukrainians are now making great progress and pushing back this Russian assault.
So we were here in the Kyiv area. This is where we saw some of the results of what the Russian troops had done, the atrocities and the war crimes they had committed--Irpin and Bucha. This is where the airport was we talked about. You remember, at one point, Russians were all in this area. They were pushed out and went down to this area called the Donbas.
The Russians had been making progress down here, frankly, in Donetsk and Luhansk and even in southern Ukraine here, taking Kherson. This is one of the key and one of the first cities that Russia took. Here is Odessa. Here are the ports.
So that is where we were until a couple of weeks ago, but a few weeks have made a big difference. Just 3 days before we arrived in Kyiv, there was a counteroffensive that began, and that counteroffensive was here in the south, so going here toward Kherson, as it is called, and trying to liberate some of these areas that the Russians had invaded. This is what they invaded initially back in 2014, and this is what they invaded more recently. So this Russian war has been going on for 8\1/2\ years.
The good news is that this counteroffensive has been making progress, and that progress has been not just here in the south but also up here in the northeast. In fact, in many respects, I think what happened is Russia moved some of its troops down here to the south, knowing that this counteroffensive was beginning. In a surprise move that is really astonishing, the Ukrainian troops have made progress now here in this area, the northeastern part of Ukraine.
This map will show you a little more detail about what is happening up north in Kharkiv. And I show you this in part to show progress but specifically to show and demonstrate to my colleagues that what we provided in military assistance to Ukraine is working. In particular, they have been asking for some time for these weapons called HIMARS, which are rocket systems that allow for a longer range and more accurate use of artillery. Prior to that, the Russians were sitting back and firing on Ukrainian positions, destroying towns--again, a lot of civilian targets--and doing so with impunity because the artillery from Ukraine could not reach them.
So we now know from public sources there are at least 16 of these batteries that are over in the area. There are also a few from Germany and the UK. They have made a tremendous difference. That is something, again, that is in public reporting, but we have also heard quite a bit about this from their defense secretary and their team.
But here is where we are today. Remember, all this was red in that larger map. Now, after only a few weeks and, really, just a couple of weeks in terms of this offensive, you see the great progress that has been made. A number of these cities that they have taken back are areas where there is a tremendous advantage to the Ukrainians, because this city, as an example, is a rail hub that was being used to supply the Russian troops that are in this part of the Donbas called Luhansk. Now look at that amount of blue. That is all where the Ukrainians have made progress. In fact, they have pushed the Russians right back to the Belarus border or to the Russian border. So this is very positive news.
Again, the reason for it--the reason that Kharkiv Oblast is now free--is because of the work of 42 countries around the world that supplied them the necessary equipment, the necessary ammo, to be able to succeed and because of the courage and bravery, most importantly, of the Ukrainian fighters. Again, think back to that commander at that small airport in Kyiv who said: We are fighting for our families, for our homeland, for our freedom. That gives them a distinct advantage, in my view.
Let there be no doubt that what happened here in this northeastern part of Ukraine was a collapse of demoralized Russian forces who fled, often leaving behind Russian armored vehicles, personnel carriers, tanks. You have seen some of that, perhaps, on the news coverage. On the other side were Ukrainians showing courage, tenacity, and determination.
The Ukrainians not just outsmarted the Russians, but they were braver and charged into the breach to liberate, by the way, thousands, if not millions, from Russian domination. People came out of their homes, by the way, to embrace these Ukrainian soldiers and to thank them--people who had been hiding in their homes, people who had been living under these terrible conditions and suffering from some of the atrocities from the Russian troops.
There was a great photo that I saw that I wanted to show you, which is of a bus stop in the Kharkiv Oblast, the Kharkiv region. This is a bus stop that had been defaced by the Russian soldiers, including putting the Russian flag on it and other graffiti. Here are some Ukrainians repainting this bus stop with, of course, the colors of Ukraine, yellow and blue--yellow standing for the sunflower fields that at one time were all over the country of Ukraine. Unfortunately, because of the war, that production will be down about 50 percent this year, but it is a beautiful sight to see those sunflower fields, which I have seen throughout Ukraine. And, second, of course, there is blue for the beautiful blue sky.
This is a photograph of people celebrating. I think there is another one there, too. People are celebrating not just the fact that they can reclaim their homes but celebrating the fact that their country is being liberated, that they can, once again, call themselves proud Ukrainians and stand tall. This is what is happening.
Sometimes the events of the day make it difficult to follow what is going on in Ukraine. Remember, we saw it on the front pages and the top of the news for weeks. And then, more recently, we have gotten distracted with other issues. But it is time for us to refocus on Ukraine and ensure that we are helping them to continue to make progress.
Ukraine has the will, the bravery, and the military competence to win. We have now seen that. What they need are the weapons to be able to defend themselves and the equipment that we and other nations of the world can provide for them. The economic aid package that passed here in the Senate back in May included this funding they needed--again, funding for the HIMARS, as an example.
It took longer than many of us wanted for the administration to provide those weapons, but they did provide them and, again, we see what is happening.
Recently, the administration, just this week, is making another request, a supplemental request, for additional funding. This time it is $13.7 billion in Ukraine-related funding, $7.2 billion in military assistance of two different kinds and then $4.5 billion in budget support.
This is a country whose economy has been reduced to a shambles thanks to the Russian invasion, and their economy is down about 40 percent to 50 percent. So until we can have more peace in that country and people can come back, they need budget support, as well as military support, just to be able to pay salaries for first responders and teachers.
I was pleased that Secretary of State Blinken also made a recent surprise visit to Kyiv right after our visit to let Ukraine know that the Biden administration and this country stands with them. He told the leaders the administration will continue to provide long-term support to Ukraine and to 18 other countries that are at risk of a Russian invasion in the Eastern European area.
That funding that he promised is from some existing appropriations. The new money, $13.5 billion, is a new package. This is a lot of money, but it is important that Congress continue to strongly support Ukraine, particularly during this incredibly critical period for the country's future.
This is a fight, again, not just about Ukraine, but it is a fight about global freedom. If we are not there to help Ukraine and Ukraine were to lose this fight and Russia were to take Ukraine, the cost we would all pay would be far, far more.
We have to learn the lessons of the past. Last month, we marked 1 year since the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, when the Biden administration was rightly criticized for abandoning our allies there. It was a stain on American credibility. It shook the trust of many of our allies around the world. I can say that having talked to many of them in the aftermath, if we were to abandon Ukraine, especially right after they demonstrated such spectacular military success, we would be making that mistake all over again. Many would wonder if America could be trusted to watch their backs.
Remember, Ukraine is a free and democratic country that looks to us, the United States, as a role model. In 2014, they made a very deliberate decision, which was to get rid of a Russian-backed corrupt government and, instead, turn to the West--to Europe, to the United States--to adopt our free-market approaches but also our democratic approaches of free speech, free and fair elections, ensuring that they had transparency and were fighting corruption. That is the country that we want to hold up as a role model and, certainly, continue to support them.
In 1994, we made a commitment after the Cold War ended--along with, by the way, the UK and Russia--that in exchange for them getting rid of their nuclear weapons in Ukraine, we would stand with them and protect their territorial integrity. Of course, Russia is not making good on that pledge, but for the United States of America it is another reason for us to stand with our allies who have chosen to stand with us.
To underscore the point that the assistance is appreciated, every time Senator Klobuchar and I were at the meeting, we heard the same thing, whether it was with President Zelenskyy or whether it was with people who were in these small towns like Kharkiv or Bucha. It was
``thank you, thank you, thank you.'' There was deep appreciation for what we are doing and thankfulness to the American people.
I will remind everyone that Ukraine has never asked for us to put American boots on the ground. This is not Iraq. This is not Afghanistan. What they have offered for us is an opportunity to protect freedom by providing them with the ability to protect themselves. We can't let Vladimir Putin even begin to think that the West is beginning to falter in this mission, especially as this counteroffensive makes more and more progress as the war crosses the 200-day mark.
It is important to note that we are not the only ones, again, providing it. Nations around the world have banded together and that is important. They know that if aggression can succeed in Ukraine, it can spread elsewhere, including further Russian encroachments in Europe that Russia has openly talked about, reclaiming the Russian Empire, as they say, and increased Chinese aggression throughout Asia, including in the Pacific Ocean.
The Solomon Islands is an example of that today, increased Chinese aggression with regard to Taiwan, and aggressive moves by Iran, exporting terrorism and instability across the Middle East.
So this is about Ukraine, but it is really about a broader issue, and all countries are watching--our allies and our adversaries.
I know there are some out there who say we can't provide indefinite funding to Ukraine, with no end in sight. I totally agree. That is not what anybody wants to do or no one expects to do. Everyone agrees that our aid to Ukraine will end at the right point, as Ukraine reclaims its rightful territory. The question is just when. We cannot let an arbitrary timeline determine that. We tried that in Afghanistan; it doesn't work. We have to be guided by the reality on the ground.
It is clear that ending our support now would be premature and ill-
advised. We have to step up, and this is money well-spent in defense of freedom. A Russian victory would be disastrous for U.S. national security and the stability and volatility of the world, the security of our NATO allies, and, certainly, the security of Eastern Europe.
We know that Russia would not stop there. Vladimir Putin himself has said:
The borders of Russia never end.
He talked about recreating the Soviet Union, recreating the Russian Empire. I would say the borders of Russia end where freedom begins.
Meanwhile, China would see the West's surrender in Ukraine as proof of the West's ``weakness.'' This would further embolden them. A Ukrainian victory would have the opposite effect. It would not only cripple Russia's war machine that President Putin has used to invade Georgia, Ukraine in 2014, Transnistria, Syria, and parts of Africa where they continue to meddle. It would also make Russian military aggression less likely for a long period of time.
With President Putin expected to meet with Chinese President Xi this week, both men know that the United States and their allies stand together against rogue aggression against sovereign countries. That is very important as a message to send.
Of course, with our assistance that we are going to be voting on, once again, here in this body, there have to be safeguards in place. There have to be guardrails. We have to ensure that military assistance is subject to careful accountability.
When Senator Klobuchar and I were there, we talked to the 101st Airborne in Poland, who are handling a lot of the equipment coming in from around the world, from all these dozens of other countries and the United States. They talked a lot about what is called ``end-use monitoring,'' knowing where these weapons are going precisely to ensure they are going to the right hands, to ensure there is not an issue with regard to how these weapons are being used. It has been more difficult to do that in Ukraine given the security concerns. But during our trip, we heard about real progress being made to increase that U.S. and global oversight of our military aid to Ukraine with real end-use monitoring. As our Embassy in Kyiv begins to bring people back, we have more American eyes on the ground to ensure that oversight. Ukraine, itself, by the way, wants that transparency and strongly supports it.
The price that we pay to stop Russia now is small compared to what we would pay if they succeed, and the deeper price, of course, is being paid by Ukraine. As NATO Secretary Stoltenberg said recently:
The price we pay is measured in currency. The price they pay [in Ukraine] is measured in lives lost every day.
We are on the side of freedom. Ukrainians want their freedom back. They fought for it in 2014 in the Euromaidan. They fought for it several times in their history. The United States and dozens of our allies have stepped up to help them achieve this goal and win this brutal war.
They have this big advantage. They are fighting with heart. They are fighting for the freedom of their homeland, their families. Russia is fighting against an enemy that never truly existed in the first place. They are fighting against a neighbor that never wanted anything but peace with all their neighbors, including Russia, but now has to take up arms to protect itself.
Recent polling by the International Republican Institute, IRI, shows that 98 percent of Ukrainians believe Ukraine will win this war. Their morale is strong. Their spirit is amazing. That was certainly the feeling I got from President Zelenskyy, his team, and every other Ukrainian Senator Klobuchar and I met with on this trip. They are united together for victory.
We met with parliamentarians from four different parties in the Rada, the equivalent of their U.S. Congress, their parliament. They are all together, all working together toward a common cause and a common enemy.
This morale isn't just in Ukraine. I see this spirit every time I go back to Ohio, where tens of thousands of Ukrainians call Ohio their home. These Ukrainian Americans and others from the Eastern European area--others of the community of nations that have been affected by the Soviet Union and Russia over the years--they are sticking together and their morale is high too.
On Sunday, President Zelenskyy brought this spirit to his people in a powerful address to the Ukrainian people. This was a 200-day speech that talked of 200 days of brave troops fighting. He said that he was certain Ukrainians would get through this difficult path to victory. This was an inspirational speech at a time when the Ukrainian people are making progress toward victory on the battlefield and, therefore, peace by getting Vladimir Putin to the bargaining table. This must be the result.
With our help and the help of all freedom-loving countries, victory can be achieved. That is what is so important right now as we look at this new appropriations bill, this legislation that the administration has sent us to help Ukraine continue its battle for freedom.
My hope is that this week and next, as we take up this legislation, that Congress passes it, showing the same spirit and the commitment to victory as we saw in Ukraine.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, before I start my planned remarks, let me thank Senator Portman for his remarks and all his effort. There is considerable bipartisan consensus about the need for support of Ukraine's efforts. The mantle of freedom in the world right now is carried by Ukraine against Russian oppression. I am delighted to have been present for his remarks.
Very early on, there were a few of us here in the Senate who, on a bipartisan basis, decided that the U.S. policy ought to, at a minimum, contemplate the possibility of Ukrainian victory, that writing it off was simply a bad mistake. At the time, it looked like it was a very small prospect, but the courage of the Ukrainian military, as they have pushed back in Kharkiv with counteroffensive and the abundant supply of military hardware that they have received from the West has made what seemed a fantastic, hopeful notion something that actually could be real, and it could be real in a fairly short time.
I, again, thank Senator Portman for his remarks.
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 147
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