[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 173 (Tuesday, December 1, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H8853-H8858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 2015
UKRAINE UNDER SIEGE
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Abraham). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
[[Page H8854]]
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as Western Europe strains with more than 1
million refugees fleeing war in the Middle East and enduring terrible
conditions, I rise tonight to address another growing humanitarian
crisis in Eastern Europe, in Ukraine.
The free world has experienced time and again what happens when it
fails to support innocents caught by fate under the brutal grip of war
and oppression. Today that reality looms largely over Europe and surely
over Ukraine, a nation of freedom-seeking people under siege
outnumbered and outgunned due to Russia's invasion on Ukraine's eastern
front. So Europe in the western end as well as the eastern faces major
displacement and humanitarian needs not seen since World War II.
Ukrainians are fighting to choose their own path, and surely America,
with our moral leadership, can find a way to help the beleaguered
people of Ukraine survive the siege and the onset of a bitter winter,
with climates that can be unforgiving, with temperatures falling as low
or more than 25 degrees below zero.
To not attend to Ukraine now risks Ukraine accessing to the free
world. If one looks at the size of Ukraine in Europe, imagine if
Ukraine could access to be part of greater Europe. That is all held in
abeyance now and also risks millions more potential refugees fleeing
from Ukraine to Western Europe for sustenance and more.
I call on the Obama administration to address the growing
humanitarian crisis in Europe, not just on the western end, but on the
eastern end in Ukraine. This is a challenge that can be met. America
has done this before. The humanitarian need in Ukraine is immediate and
growing.
I include in the Record evidence of this growing crisis by the major
religious leaders of Ukraine from all confessions, representing,
imagine, nearly 90 percent of the faithful of Ukraine. These
denominations include Baptist, Pentecostals, Muslims, Reformed Church,
the Lutheran Church, Jewish religious organizations, Evangelicals, the
Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Bible Society,
the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the
Seventh-Day Adventists, the Christian Evangelical Church. It is a very,
very long list.
I am going to read this in the Record as well as place it in the
Record. This was sent to President Obama. A delegation, over this last
month, from Ukraine, of its top religious leaders presented the Obama
administration with a request. Let me read it.
``We, the undersigned of the All Ukrainian Council of Churches and
religious organizations and representing Ukraine's diverse religious
community, appeal to you on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help
address the humanitarian catastrophe, Mr. President, gripping our
country. The needs are enormous, ranging from medical supplies to
everyday items, such as food, water, and clothing.''
They don't even ask for new clothing. They are willing to take used
shoes from the United States of America.
``While the global news media regularly reports on Russia's war
against Ukraine, government reforms and financial challenges, there is
rarely any mention of the extraordinary dimensions of the human
suffering caused by Moscow's aggression. While Ukraine certainly needs
greater military, financial, and political assistance, our focus here,
as religious leaders, must be on the humanitarian aspect.
``As you know, according to the United Nations, over 5 million
people''--5 million--``including 1.7 million children, are in desperate
need of humanitarian assistance.''
I brought a chart to the floor that shows pictures of just a few of
these children.
``8,000 people have died and over 17,000 have been injured and
wounded. There are over 1,390,000 displaced people, including 174,000
children.''
Here is one child whose only dwelling has been in a bomb shelter
since the time of his birth.
``The challenges of this human tragedy are overwhelming. Even the
most conservative estimates show that over 65 percent of projected
needs have yet to be met--even on the level of pledges.
``As representatives of the interfaith community, we witness on a
daily basis the challenges and needs of people suffering because of
this war. And with the onset of winter, an already dire situation will
only get worse. We pray for their lives and for the future of our
country.
``While we are grateful for the assistance provided by the United
States Government to date, we know that the need is so much greater.
Thus, we appeal to you,'' President Obama, ``to increase assistance and
to activate the full potential of the National Guard State Partnership
Program and the Partnership for Peace as instruments for alleviating
the humanitarian catastrophe. One of the stated goals of the
Partnership for Peace is to `provide a framework for enhanced political
and military cooperation for joint multilateral crisis management
activities, such as humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping.' Ukraine
was the first post-Soviet country to join the Partnership for Peace in
1993.
``In addition to the assistance provided by the US government, we,
during our travels throughout the United States, have come to
personally witness the great generosity of the American people
expressed through numerous spontaneous initiatives to ship medical and
humanitarian supplies to Ukraine.
``Time is of the essence, Mr. President.''
They are begging.
``The people of Ukraine need to know that they are not forgotten in
their time for need. The instruments anticipated by the National Guard
State Partnership and Partnership for Peace programs will allow the
American people to more effectively and rapidly access and deliver
already available medical and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine--
literally within days. We each represent distribution networks''--
through their various religious confessions--``that cooperate with each
other; we now ask for the resources to meet the growing human needs.
``We pray that God grant you guidance, wisdom and bless you and the
great American nation. God bless the United States and Ukraine.
Sincerely.''
And I place all their names in the Record.
The people of the world must meet this moral imperative. The United
Nations has reported that 2.6 million Ukrainians have been displaced by
the current conflict in eastern Ukraine--so unnecessary--because of
Russia's invasion. A staggering 5 million Ukrainians currently need
humanitarian survival assistance.
I met with one religious leader who came to Washington. I said: What
are you finding?
He said: Congresswoman, we are in Kharkiv. We need shoes, even used
shoes, for the children.
Currently, less than half of those in need receive any assistance at
all. If Russian aggression were to trigger a flight of these Ukrainians
westward, it would also add to the dangerous, destabilizing stress to
Europe's already-stretched refugee services as a result of what is
happening with the immigration and refugee resettlement from the Middle
East.
The situation in Ukraine is far from contained. According to a recent
report by Refugees International, approximately 2 million Ukrainians
live close to the cease-fire lines separating Ukrainian and Russian-
backed forces.
It is hard to see some of these pictures that are on this chart, but
what they basically show are bombed-out buildings, bridges that are
completely destroyed, old women living in buildings where there are no
roofs or windows in eastern Ukraine, children living in bomb shelters,
and people just, unfortunately, killed because of Russian shelling.
A Ukrainian and Russian peace settlement likely will take a while,
but another 2 million people are living under control of Russian-backed
forces. The basic needs of these civilians go unmet daily. Shockingly,
most international aid work has been suspended there, and there are
hardly any news stories about this. Aid workers have been ejected from
regions that are called Luhansk and Donetsk by the Russian-backed
fighters.
Some refugees, torn from their villages and towns, have managed to
stay in Ukraine and survive even after being driven from their homes by
violence. How they are doing this, I simply don't
[[Page H8855]]
know. But these internally displaced are overwhelming the already
limited resources of Ukraine's local governments, which are already
stretched thin by Russia's invasion. These 1.5 million internally
displaced Ukrainians lack durable housing or jobs to pay for food or
support their families.
Don't forget, with Russia's invasion, the value of their currency has
just plummeted. Everything is so much more expensive. How people are
making it, I simply don't know.
We often talk about refugees in abstract numbers. But inside these
numbers are the stories and faces of individuals. I just wish people
could see the eyes of these parents looking into the future that is so
uncertain and so daunting.
Ukrainian children in these conflict zones are being born under
conditions that most Americans couldn't even imagine, never having
lived without the imminent threat of death or loss. Many risk becoming
stateless, as they have been unable to receive birth certificates,
passports, and school certificates. In looking into the eyes of
children, I am again reminded of the urgency of this crisis.
As freedom-loving nations grapple with the Ukrainian crisis, let us
recall the nations of the European continent remain America's most
enduring allies in liberty. To not measure up to meet the current
internal challenge for Europe is to walk away from liberty's call at
freedom's edge in our time.
Existing efforts to assist Ukraine's eastern regions face a daunting
set of challenges. Roads leading to Ukrainians trapped in separatist-
held areas are difficult to navigate. There is a photo here. I mean,
they are walking across rubble, down very steep embankments.
Making matters worse, many of these routes are now scarred by the
ravages of war. Roads and bridges have been completely destroyed. On
roads running through conflict areas, Russian-backed fighters require
registration by any humanitarian group seeking access to the region.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine what life is like there?
The United Nations is the only aid group allowed to even enter the
Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. Even the U.N. was prevented from
delivering aid to eastern Ukraine for 3 months as people suffered. And
then on November 9, just a couple weeks ago, the U.N. was finally able
to deliver a convoy of nine trucks carrying vital aid to the city of
Luhansk, including 10,000 blankets, 10,000 towels, 5,000 buckets, and a
similar number of jerricans and plastic sheets, cement and timber for
shelter repairs, and other winterization need and domestic items. That
was to one town, and it did not completely serve their enormous needs.
As the U.N. agency head for Ukraine said: ``This is a small drop in
the ocean of needs . . . in these conflict-affected areas.''
Can you imagine, millions of people displaced but only 10,000
blankets? Millions of people, 10,000 blankets.
Delivery of basic medical supplies also faces obstacles. There is a
shortage of medications that treat critical and common diseases.
After his organization was forced out of Donetsk by Russian
operatives, Dr. Bart Janssens, director of operations at Doctors
Without Borders, said the following: ``We are almost the only
organization providing treatment for tuberculosis in prisons, insulin
for diabetic patients, and hemodialysis products to treat kidney
failure. Thousands of patients suffering from chronic, potentially
fatal diseases will now be left with little or no assistance.''
{time} 2030
This is the situation Ukraine faces in real time. What will the world
do? What will the United States do with so many storehouses of used
clothing, used blankets, or anything to help sustain life there?
As temperatures fall across that region, shelter assistance has to be
delivered quickly to people living in buildings without windows,
without doors, without roofs, and, most often, without heat. Thousands
of displaced people need warm blankets, winter clothing, and shoes, as
well as coal and heating fuels.
If the free world fails to act, it must prepare for the reality that,
come spring, we will discover more elderly who are dead, more who are
ill, more children who have fallen into illness and have probably died,
simply cut off from assistance, who succumbed to starvation and the
cold, needlessly adding to the over 8,000 who have already lost their
lives in this Russian-directed invasion.
America, as a nation, has long been one of supporting freedom and
economic stability across our world. Let me remind you that in a 1947
speech laying out what would become the Marshall Plan for Europe
following World War II's devastation, war-weary America stood the test
of liberty.
And one of our greatest Americans, a statesman, a general, and then
Secretary of State, General George C. Marshall, observed the dire post-
war economic conditions in Europe. And despite America's exhaustion
from World War II, he urged American involvement and support of
European recovery, noting that:
``It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able
to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world,
without which there can be no political stability and no assured
peace.''
Those words apply to Ukraine today, as they did to Western Europe
after World War II.
General Marshall continued, saying, ``Our policy is directed not
against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty,
desperation, and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working
economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and
social conditions in which free institutions can exist.''
He added that struggling nations must take the lead in their own
rebuilding and that America's role should be a supporting one.
It was really remarkable to go back and look at the films of the
brilliant airlift from World War II and see what this country did. This
crisis is not commensurate with what happens after World War II, but we
have a model. We know what to do; we know how to do it. Why aren't we
doing it?
I include in the Record separate statements from three religious
leaders who are begging the United States of America and its President
to pay particular attention to the humanitarian needs of Ukraine:
remarks by Patriarch Filaret, Ukraine Orthodox Church; the Archbishop
of Ukraine, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church;
and also Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, head of the Jewish faiths that have
presence in that country.
Transcript of the Speech by Patriarch Filaret at the National Press
Club on November 9, 2015
(Translated live from Ukrainian)
Dear Friends, we just met with the staff of President
Obama. We have handed him a letter signed by leaders of All-
Ukrainian Council of Churches and International Organizations
of Ukraine leaders of different religious denominations of
Ukraine. First of all, I want to emphasize that the All-
Ukrainian Council of Churches represents 85% of Ukraine's
residence. So our statement is on behalf of all those people.
What is that letter about? We are discussing how the
humanitarian aid that has been collected for the Ukrainian
people here in the United States can be delivered to Ukraine.
And we are asking President Obama to implement certain
provisions of the Partnership for Peace program.
Why are we asking that? Because, today, Ukraine is
defending democracy and freedom for the whole world. If
Ukraine had accepted Russia's offer and desired to pull it
into the Eurasian Union, there would be no war, but Ukraine
would have lost its democracy and freedom--it would have
become a totalitarian state.
The United States is the leader of democracy and freedom in
the world. And, today, Ukrainians are giving their lives for
this democracy and freedom. So do Ukrainians deserve such
support from the United States and Europe in standing against
Russian invasion and totalitarianism? I think Ukraine does
deserve that.
This is why we are making this request for help. We are
asking to help deliver the humanitarian aid that the people
of the United States have already collected. And we are also
asking to increase the levels of assistance of multi-sided
assistance.
At this time, the war in Eastern Ukraine has not stopped--
it only went down in intensity. Putin has diverted the
world's attention by going into Syria--this does not mean
that he has given up on Ukraine and military warfare may
erupt in Ukraine with new strength anytime. So we are
asking--please, help. We are giving away our live and you
give us the resources, including the humanitarian assistance.
Thank you.
[[Page H8856]]
____
Transcript of the Speech by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk at the
National Press Club on November 9th 2015
Dear Friends, I speak on behalf of Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church, which is present in Ukraine and worldwide. I would
like to convey to you good news from Ukraine.
First good news is that Ukrainian nation is united as never
before in its history. You see that righteous society of
Ukraine, The Council of Churches and Religious Organizations,
which represent 85% of the citizens of Ukraine, are united.
Different religions, different churches, religious
denominations, but we are the heart of Ukrainian civil
society, and we are together.
The second good news is that we did not have a civil war in
Ukraine. We are facing the foreign aggression against
Ukraine. And again, that aggression is a catalyst of
Ukrainian unity. Seventy percent of the soldiers who are
defending free and independent Ukraine are Russian-speakers.
And I think this very important sign, that even those who are
in the occupied territories, as Rabbi Bleich mentioned, are
not supporting war. Even people in Russia will not support a
war. It is why Putin is trying to be silent about that the
Russian troop and its presence on Ukrainian territory.
The third good news from Ukraine is outstanding solidarity.
Today, we have more than two million refugees in Ukraine. But
international society, until now, could only help four
hundred thousand refugees. But what is happening to the rest?
Their Ukrainian fellows are helping them. But our resources
are short because economic crisis is striking us in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, we are united in our desire to rebuild, to
transform Ukraine.
The next good news from Ukraine, we all together are
fighting against corruption, because corruption it not only
political issue, is a deep moral issue. It is a part of the
post-Soviet mentality. But we all together are trying to
reform and transform the very heart of Ukraine. To transform
the interpersonal relationships, because corruptions strike
those kinds of relationships between person in Ukraine. But,
nevertheless, we are here to be a voice of the millions who
are suffering the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe after
the Second World War.
It is a pity that Ukrainian politicians until now did not
declare the state of the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine.
Until now we've received an answer that this is a political
quest. Nevertheless, Ukraine needs worldwide international
support, especially in order to solve the humanitarian
situation in our country. So it is why we are here--to speak
on behalf of those millions who will suffer terrible winter
in few months.
But we have a hope in Ukraine. You know, politicians will
come and go, presidents will come and go, all political
visions will change, but Ukraine will remain, churches will
remain. And today we are building our future fostering the
reconciliation and cooperation between the nations.
Thank you very much.
Transcript of the Speech by Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich at the National
Press Club on November 9th 2015
Thanks for coming and for showing some interest in what's
going on in Ukraine. It is important for us in Ukraine to
know that it's not only politicians that get together and
talk about Ukraine, but that it interests civil society too.
First of all, the message comes from a coalition called the
Council of Churches and Religious Organizations of Ukraine,
which is a very unique organization anywhere in the world
probably, where the Heads of all religions in the country get
together and work for the benefit of all of the people of the
country.
Our message is from civil society, from people to people.
We spoke today with politicians because they can do things we
can't do. But we can do a lot more than they can. We feel
that civil society has an obligation to try help and do what
they can. We come together with other NGOs in the United
States trying to make things happen, change things. And I
want to point something out: the help that we may get paying
for transportation of containers of aid that was collected
here to send to Ukraine is very very symbolic. The money is
not the most important thing.
What is much more symbolic is that the people in the United
States care about what's happening in Ukraine, they
understand the war.
The need for help in Ukraine is a direct result of a
democratic choice, a choice that the people of Ukraine made.
They want to be a part of the western family of nations. They
want democracy, they want to be free, they want to be a part
of Europe, they want to live like people in the West live.
Because of that they are suffering, and it's important for
people in the United States to know that the front of the war
between democracy, democratic life and brutality, communism,
putinism, that front is taking place now in Eastern Ukraine.
That fight, which is a fight of entire world for democracy,
is taking place right there. It's not only a fight for
Ukraine, not only a fight for Ukraine's freedom, it's a fight
of freedom over putinism. This is our message.
You could see people who are willing to sacrifice
themselves for their freedom. People who are sacrificing
their lives on the front are not sacrificing for their
freedom, they are sacrificing for the freedom of their
country, for freedom of their people, for freedom of all
peoples throughout the world to have that democratic choice,
to choose how they want to live, and to be able to live the
way we take for granted here, in the United States.
Today, actually, President Poroshenko signed a decree for
organizing a committee for the 75th anniversary of Babij Yar.
This is important! We don't have to talk about this now, but
a year and a half ago we were still trying to counteract the
propaganda that was coming out of Russia about the fascism in
Ukraine and the anti-Semitism, which is a bunch of baloney.
Basically, we won that war.
People, most people, understand that Ukrainian Government
and Ukrainian people today are not fascists and anti-Semites,
they are just people who want to live free, democratically,
but part of that is that Ukrainian Government also coming
through and showing time and again, proving as much as
possible, as many times as possible that Ukrainian people are
united no matter what ethnicity, no matter what their
background, what their religion is. They want to be free,
they want to be democratic. Even the Russian-speaking people
want to be free. That was part of the failure of Putin in the
east that he didn't have the support. He doesn't have the
support of the people in Donbas to become a part of Russia.
They are not interested in becoming a part of Russia. They
want to be free as well. Everyone wants to be free.
Thank you.
Ms. KAPTUR. The United States has more than just a moral and
strategic duty to the sovereign people of Ukraine. Twenty years ago,
the United States, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the United
Kingdom came together to sign the Budapest Memorandum.
This agreement reaffirmed the common commitment of those signatory
nations ``to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing
borders of Ukraine.'' And in return for that promise of protecting
those borders, Ukraine dismantled its vast nuclear weapons complex, the
third largest in the world.
With that memorandum in hand, Ukraine did what it promised, but what
about the other signatories to that agreement?
Today, the Budapest Memorandum appears to be a hollow promise. It
comes as little surprise that Russia would break that promise, but it
disappoints me to no end that the free world, led by the United States
of America, seems reluctant to honor its promises to take a more
effective role as a coalition of nations and civil society
organizations to help Ukraine stand on its own in the face of internal
carnage perpetrated by Russia.
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove,
a man who knows an enormous amount about that continent, recently
expressed his deep concern that our focus has been pulled away from
Russia's proxy invasion of Ukraine. ``Folks have taken their eye off of
Ukraine a little bit because of Syria,'' he said.
According to him, the situation is similar to how the world lost
focus on the Russian invasion of Crimea, which the United States still
considers Ukrainian territory, after Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and
triggered the current war.
Fighting in the Donbass region of Ukraine has fluctuated, but
skirmishes continue and Ukrainian territory remains under Russian
occupation, with no withdrawal in sight.
Congress took initial steps to address Ukraine's need last year, just
about a year ago, with the Ukraine Freedom Support Act--legislation we
fought hard to pass and which most of our colleagues voted to support.
However, conditions continue to worsen.
A report done by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of
Europe acknowledges that the fighting in the east, which began in the
spring of 2014, has resulted in extensive damage to schools and medical
facilities, leaving the local population increasingly dependent on
outside aid. Assistance is needed to meet basic needs and access to
clean water, which is a problem already for 1.3 million Ukrainians at a
minimum.
Two weeks ago, I sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of State
Victoria Nuland to call for the United States to work with the
Ukrainian Government and Russia to restore access to humanitarian
workers and to allow aid to proceed.
In particular, I identified a need for access to--and this is in
working with the religious leaders of Ukraine across confessions for
these items--winterization activities, including blankets, quilts,
kerosene, heating stoves; direct
[[Page H8857]]
financial assistance to these religious groups to help them help
others; water pumping station equipment to prevent freezing; electrical
repair kits and tools; coal; batteries; clothing; and everyday
necessities, including medical equipment, basic and specialized
medicines, emergency medical kits, shoes, socks, long underwear, coats,
mittens, hats; redevelopment assistance, including economic aid and
tools as well as equipment to repair homes, bridges, and roads.
They don't even request new material. They just request help. I just
think to myself, how much is thrown away in landfills across this
country, items that still have good wear and good possibility? How much
is thrown away at construction sites? And what we can do to help the
people of Ukraine? These items are more than just objects to the people
of Ukraine. They are life itself right now.
The people of Ukraine want desperately to stand on their own, access
to the European continent, and to govern themselves in the light of
liberty. I have seen it in their eyes. Let us help them weather this
terrible storm now when they need it most.
My heavens, if the United States of America could lead the Berlin
airlift after World War II in those old, tired planes, sending goods to
the people of Europe, to the people of Western Europe, and to give them
hope and sustenance, you mean to tell me that the America of the 21st
century can't figure this out, especially when Congress has put money
in the budget of the Department of Defense and the Department of State
to carry this out, working in cooperation with organizations across
this great land?
Last month, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious
Organizations, a globally unique coming-together of diverse religious
faiths which represent 85 percent of the Ukrainian population,
presented President Obama with a letter I referenced earlier, appealing
on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help address the humanitarian
catastrophe gripping that Nation.
Each is a daily witness to the challenges and needs of the people
suffering because of this unnecessary, brutal war, where over 8,000
have already been killed; 17,610 wounded--that was a figure as of
October--2.6 million people internally displaced; 5 million in need of
aid, including 1.7 million children, and one in five homes of displaced
families damaged or destroyed. Surely, the free world can figure this
out.
I do have to say a word about this. A few weeks ago, I stood here in
Washington with many distinguished Ukrainian leaders, including the
First Lady of Ukraine, Maryna Poroshenko; His Holiness, the Patriarch
of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine Filaret; and my dear friend and fellow
Ukraine Caucus cochair, Congressman Sander Levin of Michigan, to
dedicate a memorial here in our Nation's capital to the 1932-1933
Soviet Union's forced starvation of between 2.5 million and 7.5 million
Ukrainians whose names are lost to history forever.
I think America should also consider doing this humanitarian lift to
Ukraine because, frankly, no place on Earth suffered more in the last
century from brutal tyranny than did Ukraine. Perhaps something is owed
to those sacrificial people for what they endured and for the spark of
liberty that still breathes so strongly in their hearts and minds.
In marking the brutal tragedy of the forced famine, called the
Holodomor, I am reminded of the importance of teaching about the cost
of liberty, the need to fight for it, and the legacy of that
sacrificial people.
Through this memorial, we seek to better guard against any oppressive
regime that would seek to rule over any people, for, at that time, our
Nation failed to reveal and respond to that ongoing brutality of forced
starvation in Ukraine. Had the free world acted then, we might have
changed the fate of millions, but that did not happen.
Let us not repeat the blindness of the past. America must act with
dispatch to support the freedom-loving people of Ukraine. Time and
again, in moments when the world has found itself at a crossroads,
American leadership and action has made the difference.
We must be prepared to join with others in this effort to save the
children, to save the families, to save the people of Ukraine, and, in
doing so, to let liberty march forward. We must do the right thing for
our brothers and sisters in liberty. America must act, and we must act
as leaders. Ukraine is waiting. The world is waiting.
I call upon the President of the United States and the Obama
administration to do what is necessary and achievable to meet the
growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, to relieve the unnecessary
suffering of their people, and to prevent a gigantic refugee crisis
from spilling over and impacting European stability.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), who
could not be here tonight for this Special Order, supports these
efforts. His formal statement includes the important role that the
people of southeastern Pennsylvania have played in keeping a focus on
Ukraine and this ongoing tragedy and what the United States of America
can do at very little cost to the people here by the mobilization of
the hearts of the American people to provide humanitarian assistance to
help save Ukraine in our own time and day.
President Barack Obama,
The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington,
DC.
Dear Mr. President: We, the undersigned of the All
Ukrainian Council of Churches and religious organizations,
and representing Ukraine's diverse religious community appeal
to you on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help address the
humanitarian catastrophe gripping our country. The needs are
enormous, ranging from medical supplies to everyday items
such as food, water, and clothing.
While the global news media regularly reports on Russia's
war against Ukraine, government reforms and financial
challenges, there is rarely any mention of the extraordinary
dimensions of the human suffering caused by Moscow's
aggression. While Ukraine certainly needs greater military,
financial and political assistance, our focus here must be on
the humanitarian aspect.
As you know, according to the UN, over 5 million people,
including 1.7 million children are in desperate need of
humanitarian assistance. 8,000 people have died and over
17,000 have been injured and wounded. There are over
1,390,000 displaced people, including 174,000 children. The
challenges of this human tragedy are overwhelming. Even the
most conservative estimates show that over 65% of projected
needs have yet to be met--even on the level of pledges.
As representatives of the interfaith community, we witness
on a daily basis the challenges and the needs of people
suffering because of this war. And with the onset of winter,
an already dire situation will only get worse. We pray for
their lives and for the future of our country.
While we are grateful for the assistance provided by the
United States government to date, we know that the need is so
much greater. Thus, we appeal to you to increase assistance
and to activate the full potential of the National Guard
State Partnership Program and the Partnership for Peace (PfP)
as instruments for alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe.
One of the stated goals of the PfP is to ``provide a
framework for enhanced political and military cooperation for
joint multilateral crisis management activities, such as
humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping.'' Ukraine was the
first post-Soviet country to join the PfP in 1993.
In addition to the assistance provided by the US
government, we, during our travels throughout the United
States, have come to personally witness the great generosity
of the American people expressed through numerous spontaneous
initiatives to ship medical and humanitarian supplies to
Ukraine.
Time is of the essence, Mr. President. The people of
Ukraine need to know that they are not forgotten in their
time for need! The instruments anticipated by the National
Guard State Partnership and Partnership for Peace programs
will allow the American people to more effectively and
rapidly access and deliver already available medical and
humanitarian supplies to Ukraine--literally within days. We
each represent distribution networks that cooperate with each
other; we now ask for the resources to meet the growing human
needs.
We pray that God grant you guidance, wisdom and bless you
and the great American nation. God bless the United States
and Ukraine!
Sincerely,
Antoniuk Valery Stepanovich--Chairman of the Union,
Senior Bishop, All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of
Evangelical Christians--Baptists; Panochko Michael
Stepanovich--President of the Union, Senior Bishop,
All-Ukrainian Union of Christians of the Evangelical
Faith--Pentecostals; Ablaev Emirali--Chairman of the
Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, Mufti
Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea; Ahmad
Tamim--Head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims
of Ukraine, Mufti of Zan-Fabian Alexander--Head of the
Consistory of the SCRC, Bishop, Transcarpathian
Reformed Church; Sergey Mashevskyy--Bishop, German
Evangelical Lutheran
[[Page H8858]]
Church of Ukraine; Yaakov Dov Bleich--President of the
Association, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine,
Association of Jewish Religious Organizations of
Ukraine; Peter Malchuk--Head of the Commission on the
Relationship Between State and Church; Raichynets
Vasiliy Fedorovich--Senior Pastor, Union of Free
Churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Ukraine;
Macarius (Maletich)--Primate of the Ukrainian
Autocephalous Orthodox Church Metropolitan The
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church; Commandant
Grigory Ivanovich--President, Ukrainian Bible Society;
Sviatoslav (Shevchuk)--Archbishop, The Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church; Marcos (Oganesyan)--Bishop, Ukrainian
Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Vyacheslav
Horpynchuk--Bishop, Ukrainian Lutheran Church; Onufry
(Berezovsky)--Metropolitan Ukrainian Orthodox Church;
Filaret (Denisenko)--Patriarch Filaret, Patriarch of
Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine, Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Kiev Patriarchate; Nosov Stanislav Viktorovich--
President, The Ukrainian Union Conference of Seventh-
Day Adventists; Padun Leonid Nikolaevich--Senior
Bishop, Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, all Members will have 5
legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous material into the Record on the topic of this Special
Order.
There was no objection.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the
gentlewoman from Ohio, Ms. Kaptur, for organizing this Special Order
this evening and bringing this important alliance with Ukraine to the
forefront.
The Ukrainian heritage, and its people, play a critical role in the
cultural fabric of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Just this morning, I had the privilege to meet with Ukrainian
Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly and reaffirm our support
for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and freedom of Ukraine.
Mr. Speaker, our relationship with Ukraine is vital to our national
security interest and we must continue to foster strong bilateral
relations as Ukraine continues to face threats to its status as a
sovereign nation.
So long as Russia continues to pose a destabilizing force at
Ukraine's borders and supports rebel groups in Eastern Ukraine,
Congress and the Administration must remain steadfast in our support
for the Ukrainian people and their freedom.
The Administration must follow through on the commitment set forth in
the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 to provide Ukraine with much-
needed military aid, both lethal and non-lethal.
Reportedly, not even half the aid authorized last December has been
delivered. Further, a recent article in the Washington Post noted that
the quality of the U.S. supplied gear, including Humvees, is ``little
more than junk''--there is barely any protection on the windows and
doors--while the non-lethal military aid provided to protect Ukraine
military forces is obsolete.
Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable and our allies deserve better.
In an effort to keep our nation safe and to provide assistance to our
allies, the National Defense Authorization Act was recently signed into
law. This includes an authorization for $300 million in military aid,
including lethal, to support Ukraine.
And currently stalled in the House is bill H.R. 955, that would
authorize the Secretary of Defense to provide assistance (including
training, equipment, lethal weapons of a defensive nature, logistics
support, supplies and services) to the military and national security
forces of Ukraine through the end of the next fiscal year.
Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to act on this legislation in an
expeditious manner and bring it to the Floor for a vote.
We cannot let our Ukrainian allies on the frontlines defend their
freedom and sovereignty without meaningful support. The Administration
must follow through on our word.
Again, I thank Congresswoman Kaptur for organizing tonight's special
order and her unwavering dedication to Ukraine and the Ukrainian-
American community.
____________________