[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7150-S7151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Russia and Ukraine

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I have two topics. I want to talk in a 
moment or two about National Adoption Month, but before I do that, I 
want to talk just a minute about Russia's continued outrageous behavior 
in Ukraine and the most recent incident where Russia has manufactured 
another crisis in order to take advantage of whatever situation they 
think the moment is ripe for. Clearly this has been allowed to go on 
for too long.

[[Page S7151]]

  While Ukraine is not a member of NATO, I think NATO countries--
including ours--have a great interest in what is happening in Ukraine 
with Putin's continued aggressive behavior. We had a joint session--the 
only joint session where the President of Ukraine has spoken--a few 
years ago. He made the point that they appreciated the humanitarian 
help, but I thought the most telling moment in that speech was when he 
said: We appreciate the humanitarian help, we appreciate the blankets, 
but you can't fight the Russians with blankets.
  That was the time under the Obama administration when we were not 
giving Ukraine either the defensive or offensive capacity they needed. 
President Trump has made a different decision, which I support, in 
helping the Ukrainians defend themselves.
  I also support whatever we can do at this moment to let it be known 
to Putin that we are supportive of Ukraine's efforts to have an 
independent, democratic government, that we will continue to be 
supportive of that and we will continue to be helpful in that effort, 
and President Putin had better be careful that he doesn't take one step 
too far. In fact, he has already taken steps further than should have 
been allowed. Those steps--the seizure of Crimea, the invasion of 
eastern Ukraine by people who were clearly Russian soldiers in plain 
green uniforms--should not have been allowed. The President has to deal 
with that, but we need to deal with that in a way that gives Ukraine 
all the help they need in dealing with that themselves.
  Whether the President should make that point by not meeting with 
Putin or whether he should make that point by meeting with Putin and 
clearly expressing not only our concern but our absolute rejection of 
the efforts the Russian Government has made toward Ukraine in an 
aggressive way, I don't know. I do know that it is time for us to be 
very clear about how we feel about that and emphasize our continued 
commitment to the NATO countries along the Russian border, that we 
absolutely will respond if there is any aggression toward those NATO 
countries. Frankly, we should be aggressive in our efforts to help 
Ukraine defend itself.