[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 67 (Monday, April 19, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H1947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RUSSIAN AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the bipartisan 
Congressional Ukraine Caucus, I rise today with deep concern regarding 
the Kremlin's increased aggression toward our ally, Ukraine.
  Currently, Russia is amassing troops in and close to Ukraine. 
Ukrainian officials estimate about 80,000 Russian troops are amassed on 
its border.
  U.S. European Command General Tod Wolters said, the current Russian 
force mirrors the size of the infiltration of forces that occurred back 
in 2014 when Russia illegally invaded Ukrainian territory.
  This aggression serves one purpose: Russia's hybrid warfare to 
threaten the security of the Transatlantic Alliance.
  I am so grateful to President Biden for his exceptional leadership 
and support for Ukraine, and I agree completely that there must be 
serious consequences should Russia escalate further. I am also thankful 
for the administration's latest round of punitive sanctions on Russia 
given its malign behavior.
  To strengthen Ukraine's deterrence capabilities, our caucus 
spearheaded efforts to increase Ukraine's defense assistance funding by 
$25 million, up to $275 million in fiscal year 2021, and to place 
mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
  Our caucus stands ready to support NATO and the Transatlantic 
Alliance to ensure the protection of Ukraine's sovereignty.

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