[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S593-S594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                UKRAINE

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, in 1991 the free world cheered as Ukraine 
and other former Soviet republics gained their independence. 
Unfortunately, Ukrainian democracy is now under siege, as peaceful 
antigovernment protests have been met with brutal violence.
  Over the past few years, reports of popular protests against 
oppressive regimes have become commonplace. Yet the frequency of such 
events does not obviate our moral responsibility to stand shoulder to 
shoulder with freedom-loving people around the world who seek to throw 
off unjust and despotic regimes in pursuit of liberty, democracy, and 
the rule of law.
  The United States has been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian 
people's efforts to create a strong nation, built on

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democratic and free market principles. Ukraine made a significant step 
toward achieving these goals when it adopted its first democratic 
constitution in 1996. But under the Yanukovych Administration, the 
basic liberties of the Ukrainian people have been trampled. Recent 
elections have fallen short of international standards, and the 
government has used the courts to neutralize opposition leaders, 
sending former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to prison for 7 years on 
trumped-up, politically motivated charges. Meanwhile, President 
Yanukovych continues to pursue closer ties with Russia, in spite of the 
Ukrainian people's clear preference for closer ties with Europe.
  In addition to the moral imperative we have to support basic human 
rights, the United States must also recognize that Ukraine--with a 
population of 45 million and a territory comparable in size to that of 
France--occupies a unique, sensitive, and strategically important 
position between Russia and our NATO allies Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, 
and Romania. The future of Ukraine will be determined by what happens 
in the days ahead, and it will have a direct bearing on U.S. interests 
for years to come.
  On occasion, protesters have clashed with police, with reports of 
many injuries and several deaths. Although recent reports from Kiev 
indicated that protesters had seized the Ukrainian Justice Ministry, 
they voluntarily gave up the building to avoid creating difficulties in 
negotiations between the Ukrainian Government and the opposition. 
Opposition leaders have said they will continue pressing for democratic 
concessions, including free and fair elections and the abolition of 
sweeping new antiprotest laws. Their efforts to avoid violent 
confrontation should be encouraged, and their valid demands supported.
  It is imperative that the United States send an unequivocal message 
to the Ukrainian people that we support their efforts to restore 
democracy and the rule of law. At the same time, we must make clear to 
President Yanukovych that the only hope for a strong, peaceful, and 
independent Ukraine lies in building ties with Europe, the United 
States, and other freedom-loving countries around the world.

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