[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 32 (Thursday, February 17, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S780]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                UKRAINE

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I rise today in support of my 
resolution to convey strong bipartisan opposition to Russian President 
Vladimir Putin's unprovoked aggression against the United States' 
partner, Ukraine. I was proud to lead this resolution with Senator Rob 
Portman, in addition to Senators Durbin, Cornyn, Menendez, and Risch, 
and was pleased to see 38 Senators join this resolution and push for 
its passage.
  As the Senate prepared to adjourn for the next week, Senator Portman 
and I believed it was absolutely critical that we deliver this message 
of strong bipartisan support for the brave and resilient people of 
Ukraine. It is important to send a message of bipartisan resolve and to 
stand up to Putin in response to his continued aggression and 
especially given recent indications that he is increasingly likely to 
eschew the diplomatic path available and further invade Ukraine. And as 
I join a large bipartisan delegation to the Munich Security Forum this 
weekend, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed that it was 
paramount that the Senate pass this resolution. This resolution 
demonstrates the fierce bipartisan support for the NATO, for the 
transatlantic alliance, for our democratic partners in Ukraine and in 
repudiation of Putin's efforts to violate Ukraine's sovereignty.
  This Senate has a long history of supporting an independent and 
democratic Ukraine. Since Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, 
this Congress has provided more than $2.7 billion in security 
assistance and supported critical reforms to help Ukraine on its 
journey to greater euro-Atlantic integration.
  I am proud to have been involved in a number of bipartisan efforts to 
support Ukraine. Last month, I traveled to Ukraine with Senator Portman 
as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation to meet with Ukrainian 
President Zelenskyy and his national security team to discuss the 
Russian threat and how the United States can help our Ukrainian 
friends. In January, I reaffirmed the United States' commitment to our 
democratic partners, which I also shared during a congressional 
delegation visit last June, that our Nation believes fervently that 
Ukraine and Ukraine alone should determine its future.
  In our meetings, the message from the Ukrainians was clear. They see 
their future in partnership with the West. They share our democratic 
values, and their people are proud of their hard-won independence. I 
would like to make one point perfectly clear: The unprecedented Russian 
threat to Ukraine's sovereignty is on Vladimir Putin and no one else. 
He has designed this crisis to advance his own revanchist agenda. The 
global community is not blind to his malign ambitions. He wants to 
reconstruct the Soviet Union and recreate his own sphere of interest. 
And he--wrongfully--sees Ukraine as part of this authoritarian future.
  Putin wants to diminish the U.S. presence in Europe and to rewrite 
the European security order for his benefit and in blatant disregard 
for previous international agreements and treaties that Russia signed. 
And Putin has shown repeated attempts to subvert democratic 
institutions in the United States, threaten our election security, 
attack our infrastructure, and compromise the sovereignty of our allies 
around the globe.
  This is why what happens in Ukraine matters to the United States. How 
we respond to Putin's aggression against Ukraine will have implications 
for our national security and global stability for decades to come. It 
is important that we stand up for our values. It is necessary that we 
stand up to protect our national security. And it is critical that we 
continue to uphold and protect the European security order that has 
afforded us peace and prosperity for over 70 years. As Putin tries to 
dismantle and divide the very alliance that has kept us safe for over 
70 years, it is all the more important that we strengthen our resolve 
through a strong message of unbreakable unity.
  This is why the passage of today's bipartisan resolution on Ukraine 
is so important. I want to covey my appreciation to Senator Portman for 
his work and leadership. Especially on this issue, we believe that 
bipartisanship is critical in advancing U.S. foreign policy, especially 
in support of our partner, Ukraine. And we must lead by example and 
convey, as we have done to our Ukrainian partners and our transatlantic 
allies, that we must not leave any space for Putin to sow further 
discord.
  On Monday, I spoke on the floor and said that the Senate does not 
have a choice; we must send a message of strong, unequivocal bipartisan 
resolve. And today, we did just that.
  Along with my fellow Senators, I wish to send an unequivocal message 
to Putin; you will not divide this Senate. You will not divide this 
country. And you will not divide the transatlantic alliance. Diplomacy 
remains an option to deescalate this situation and pursue a peaceful 
resolution. But if Putin decides to further invade Ukraine, he will 
only succeed in uniting us all--Democrats, Republicans, Americans, and 
the transatlantic alliance--in sending a message of unmistakable 
resolve against his belligerence.

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