[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 186 (Tuesday, November 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7127-S7128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Ukraine
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today, as I have many times
before, to stand up for a free and independent Ukraine.
I come to the floor to unambiguously call out and condemn the Russian
Government's escalation of aggression and the increasingly dangerous
situation in Ukraine.
Over the weekend, Russian forces sharply escalated their campaign in
Ukraine by attacking and seizing 3 Ukrainian vessels with 23 crew
members and temporarily shutting down commercial shipping through the
Kerch Strait. Ukrainian sailors were injured and required medical
attention.
This was an outrageous violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, so I want
to say this clearly and unequivocally: The Kremlin must immediately
return the vessels and sailors to Ukraine. The Kremlin must not
obstruct the free passage of shipping through the Kerch Strait moving
forward.
We here in the United States must take the Kremlin's actions
seriously in word and in deed, for the Russian Government's actions on
Sunday marked a sharp escalation in Putin's ongoing assault on the
international rules-based order, this time on the freedom of navigation
in the high seas. Indeed, this was an act of war, and Sunday's attack
comes in the context of ongoing Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine
for the past 4 years.
For the past 4 years, Ukrainian forces have endured an unrelenting
assault, rendering the Donbas economically shattered and ungovernable.
For the past 4 years, 1.5 million displaced people have lived lives
of uncertainty, not sure when and if they will ever be able to return
home.
For the past 4 years, Ukraine has struggled to rebuild its economy
and reform its institutions while fighting a hot war and suffering
regular casualties.
For the past 4 years, Ukraine has been on the frontlines of a
struggle against the Kremlin's vision of a world that is not guided by
Democratic values, not buttressed by fundamental freedoms, not governed
by a rules-based international order but, instead, ruled by Mr. Putin
and a corrupt cabal of oligarch insiders.
Despite years of aggression, Putin's latest escalation marks an even
more insidious turn. Apparently, the Kremlin no longer seeks to hide
behind lies of little green men or Russian-backed separatists. The
Russian Government, with no pretense or obfuscation, fully admitted to
directly firing on Ukrainian forces and seizing their ships.
Beyond the military component, this attack tells us that Putin is
ramping up an economic war on Ukraine. Since the spring, Russian
vessels have blocked Ukrainian commercial ships from sailing through
the Kerch Strait, costing Ukraine millions in lost revenue from exports
and blocking imports critical to the Ukrainian economy. This weekend,
Moscow opened up a new front in the war, one that could ultimately do
the most damage to Ukraine's viability as a state.
Russia's actions show that its leaders are emboldened, unchastened,
and on the march. Clearly our response to Russian efforts to undermine
our security, our fundamental democratic values, our institutions, and
the rules-based international order has thus far been inadequate.
Certainly the State and Defense Departments have taken some steps to
counter Russian aggression. Ambassador Kurt Volker, who has led efforts
to fully implement the Minsk agreements, has shown clear-eyed
leadership in calling out the Kremlin and holding Putin to account. Our
Assistant Secretary of State for Europe, Wess Mitchell, has done much
of the same. Secretary Jim Mattis has consistently supported a strong
military presence in Europe to counter Russian aggression. Nikki Haley,
our U.S. Ambassador, issued the first statement from the administration
following Sunday's attack and was appropriately firm. Come to think of
it, I can't think of any player within the Trump administration who is
soft on Russia--except one, of course: the President himself.
Just yesterday, when asked by reporters about Russia's escalation in
Ukraine, President Trump said: ``We don't like what is happening either
way.'' In other words, he once again fell back on the same old both
sides excuse he keeps in his back pocket whenever asked about Russia's
bad behavior. This is not the kind of clear and unequivocal
denouncement the people of Ukraine or the world needs to hear from an
American President at a moment in which the international democratic
order is under attack, but unfortunately it is what we have come to
expect from President Trump, who repeatedly subverts his own
administration's positions and efforts on Russia.
The work of Mattis, Volker, Mitchell, Haley, and countless others has
been repeatedly undermined by a President who has abandoned America's
interests and betrayed our core principles time and time again, from
the fiasco in Helsinki to an exchange in Paris just weeks ago where he
greeted Putin with a giant smile on his face.
The President has had many opportunities to restore confidence to the
[[Page S7128]]
American people and reclaim America's global leadership on Russia
policy. While he has repeatedly failed to do so, yet another
opportunity lies before him this week at the G20 summit in Buenos
Aires, where he is scheduled to meet with Putin. If ever there were a
time for this President to defend our country, our principles, and
those of our allies, this would be it. If ever there were an
opportunity for American leadership, this would be it. If there were
ever a time for President Trump to find his spine on Russia, this would
be it.
In the meantime, President Trump must use this week's opportunity in
Buenos Aires to send a clear message to Putin that we will not tolerate
its increasingly aggressive behavior in Ukraine. Here is what I believe
the President must do:
First, the United States needs to increase assistance to our friends
in Ukraine in the face of continued aggression in Donbass and now in
the Kerch Strait. The Trump administration must immediately increase
security assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of lethal
maritime equipment and weapons. In addition, we must bolster
intelligence-sharing with Kiev and assist Ukraine's efforts to improve
its maritime domain awareness.
Second, NATO has a critical role and should consider increasing
exercises and its presence in the Black Sea. The United States has
maintained an active presence in the South China Sea to protect
shipping lanes. NATO should move quickly to establish such a presence
in the Black Sea.
Third, the United States should increase sanctions pressure on Russia
immediately. This is long overdue. The President is required to impose
sanctions on Russia under the CAATSA law. Several mandatory provisions
of the law remain ignored. I would offer that now would be a good time
to follow the law. But imposing sanctions alone does not constitute a
real strategy.
Fourth, Sunday's events present an important opportunity for American
engagement with like-minded allies across Europe. Now is the time for
serious diplomacy and coalition-building in the face of this threat.
Our European friends spoke out in full opposition to Russia's attack on
Sunday. Now let's see if we can work together to turn words into action
and deter such Kremlin attacks in the future.
Finally, as the situation in Ukraine grows more perilous, we in the
Senate must also live up to our national security responsibilities.
Following the President's failures in Helsinki, Senator Graham and I,
along with others, introduced the Defending American Security from
Kremlin Aggression Act, known as DASKAA. This legislation is more than
another sanctions bill; it charts a comprehensive way forward for how
the United States can better defend its interests and those of our
close allies against Putin's unrelenting assault on our values,
security, economic interests, and the rules-based international order.
After months of Senate hearings on the legislation, we have nothing
to show for it, as both the Senate Foreign Relations and Banking
Committees have refused to mark up new legislation to respond to the
Kremlin threat. What are we waiting for? What are we waiting for? The
alarm bells are ringing. Yet the Senate Republican leadership is sound
asleep. They are asleep as Trump concedes more ground to the Kremlin in
Ukraine and cyber space; asleep while Russian ships ram Ukrainian
vessels in international waters and injure brave Ukrainian sailors;
asleep while Vladimir Putin pounds away at our points of vulnerability.
The American people deserve a vote on DASKAA before we leave for the
holidays. Anything less would be a mark of shameful abdication of our
responsibility to protect and defend our national interests.
I hope this Chamber will wake up to this growing threat. Perhaps
Sunday's attack will be a ringing alarm clock that compels this body
and the international community to act.
Finally, the American people cannot afford a weak performance by
President Trump at the G20 summit, like we saw in Helsinki--cannot
afford such a performance.
President Trump, this is your opportunity to finally show American
leadership in defense of our principles and our close allies across
Europe.
The time is now. It is critical. We are waiting to see that in fact
the President can rise to the moment.