[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 2, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H1247-H1254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                    SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 956) to support the People of Ukraine.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 956

       Whereas, on January 21, 1990, more than 300,000 Ukrainians 
     called for unity and independence from the Soviet Union by 
     forming a human chain between the cities of Kyiv and Ivano-
     Frankivsk;
       Whereas, on December 1, 1991, more than 90 percent of 
     Ukrainian citizens voted in a national referendum in support 
     of independence, with majorities in every region;
       Whereas, on November 21, 2013, the Euromaidan protests 
     began in favor of signing the European Union-Ukraine 
     Association Agreement, resulting in the Revolution of Dignity 
     and the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych by the 
     Verkhovna Rada;
       Whereas, in February and March of 2014, the Russian 
     Federation invaded the peninsula of Crimea, illegally annexed 
     the region, held a sham referendum, and claimed the territory 
     to be a part of Russia;
       Whereas, beginning in April 2014, the Russian Federation 
     invaded the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Eastern Ukraine 
     instigating violence, stoking conflict, arming separatists, 
     and spreading disinformation on Ukrainian soil;
       Whereas, on July 17, 2014, Russian soldiers or Russian 
     separatist fighters shot down the passenger flight MH17 
     flying over the Donbas with a Buk surface-to-air missile 
     provided by the Russian Federation, killing all 298 innocent 
     passengers on board;
       Whereas, since February 2015, Russia has continued to fail 
     to live up to its agreements under the Minsk agreements and 
     the Russian-backed war in the Donbas has claimed 
     approximately 14,000 lives;
       Whereas the Russian military conducted a large-scale 
     buildup in and around Ukraine in March and April 2021 under 
     the guise of military exercises, leaving significant military 
     equipment behind;
       Whereas the Russian military initiated its most recent much 
     larger military buildup in October 2021 that culminated in 
     approximately 190,000 forces by the time of Russia's renewed 
     full-scale incursion on February 24, 2022;
       Whereas, on February 21, 2022, the State Duma of Russia 
     passed a bill, approved by President Vladimir Putin, to 
     officially recognize the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's 
     Republic and Donetsk People's Republic as independent;
       Whereas, on February 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin ordered 
     Russian troops into the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's 
     Republic and Donetsk People's Republic after recognizing 
     their independence;
       Whereas the decision to recognize the self-proclaimed 
     Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic as 
     independent and order Russian troops into that territory was 
     not only in violation of international law, Ukraine's 
     sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the Minsk 
     agreements, but also tantamount to a declaration of war;
       Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces, enabled by 
     Belarus, launched its unprovoked full-scale renewed invasion 
     of a peaceful, independent country, Ukraine;
       Whereas, since 2014, the United States has provided 
     $3,100,000,000 in security assistance to Ukraine, including 
     over $1,000,000,000 over the course of the last year, 
     $200,000,000 of which was approved on December 27, 2021, and 
     $350,000,000 of which was approved on February 26, 2022;
       Whereas it is the right of all countries to decide their 
     own future, foreign policy, and security arrangements free 
     from outside interference or coercion;
       Whereas the Russian Federation repeatedly lied about their 
     massive buildup of military forces around Ukraine and claimed 
     that reports Russia would invade Ukraine were hysteria;
       Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the G7 issued a statement 
     condemning the ``large-scale military aggression by the 
     Russian Federation against the territorial integrity, 
     sovereignty and independence of Ukraine'';
       Whereas, on February 25, 2022, the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization condemned ``in the strongest possible terms 
     Russia's horrifying attack on Ukraine'', called on Russia 
     ``to turn back from the path of violence and aggression'', 
     and reaffirmed an ``iron-clad'' commitment to Article 5;
       Whereas the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, 
     the United Kingdom, and Canada joined with the United States, 
     committed to coordinated economic sanctions, including severe 
     restrictions, against Russia's Central Bank and full blocking 
     sanctions against Vladimir Putin;
       Whereas United States leadership is integral to nations 
     around the world in condemning and imposing costs on the 
     Russian Federation for its illegal, full-scale, renewed 
     invasion;
       Whereas Russian forces have targeted civilians and have 
     committed war crimes and crimes against humanity;
       Whereas, in the days since the renewed full-scale invasion 
     began, Russian citizens have taken to the streets in cities 
     and towns across Russia to protest Putin's illegitimate and 
     destructive war waged against a peaceful and sovereign 
     Ukraine; and
       Whereas the United States, along with allies in Europe, the 
     Indo-Pacific, and others around the world, has been actively 
     responding to Russia's unprovoked war of aggression against 
     Ukraine with critical military, humanitarian, and financial 
     support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) demands an immediate cease-fire and the full withdrawal 
     of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory;
       (2) supports, unequivocally, Ukraine's sovereignty and 
     territorial integrity;
       (3) backs the continued use of sanctions, in coordination 
     with United States allies and partners, to fully isolate the 
     Putin regime economically for its unprovoked aggression 
     against Ukraine;
       (4) urges the United States and its allies and partners to 
     deliver additional and immediate defensive security 
     assistance to help Ukraine address the armored, airborne, and 
     other threats Ukraine is currently facing from Russian 
     forces;
       (5) commits to continuing to support resistance by the 
     Ukrainian people as long as the Russian Federation continues 
     to violate Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity;
       (6) promises to continue to provide significant additional 
     aid and humanitarian relief to Ukrainian refugees fleeing 
     Russia's aggression, commends European partners for their 
     efforts to relieve suffering on the ground, and urges the 
     Russian Federation alongside United States allies and 
     partners to guarantee safe passage out of the country;
       (7) reaffirms its strong support for the security of United 
     States allies and ironclad commitment to Article 5 of the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);
       (8) emphasizes that NATO's relationship with Ukraine is a 
     matter only for Ukraine and the 30 NATO allies;
       (9) pledges to support working with Europe and 
     international partners to bolster Europe's energy security 
     and reduce its dependence on Russian energy imports;
       (10) underscores the importance of maintaining United 
     States energy independence for the benefit of the American 
     people and United States allies;
       (11) reiterates that Crimea and the territories illegally 
     controlled by the illegitimate Russian-controlled governments 
     in Donetsk and Luhansk are sovereign Ukrainian territory;
       (12) declares that the war in Ukraine, a democratic 
     country, is the frontline of democracy and freedom versus 
     authoritarianism represented by Putin's Russia;
       (13) supports the right of the Russian people to protest, 
     including the current protests against Putin's unprovoked war 
     against Ukraine, and demands the immediate release of all 
     those who have been unjustly detained in Russia for 
     expressing their desire for peace;
       (14) comprehends that strongmen, dictators, and 
     authoritarians are watching the world's response to Putin's 
     war against Ukraine and learning lessons for their own 
     aggressive actions domestically and abroad, thereby making a 
     strong and united response important to deter the expansion 
     of territory by the use of military force beyond this crisis;
       (15) states unambiguously that it will never recognize or 
     support any illegitimate Russian-controlled leader or 
     government installed through the use of force, and that only 
     the people of Ukraine can choose their leadership through 
     free and fair democratic elections without foreign 
     interference, intervention, or coercion;
       (16) commits to ensuring the illegitimate dictator of 
     Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is held accountable for 
     permitting the use of Belarusian territory for, and 
     committing Belarusian forces to, Putin's unprovoked renewed 
     full-scale invasion against Ukraine; and
       (17) stands steadfastly, staunchly, proudly, and fervently 
     behind the Ukrainian people in their fight against the 
     authoritarian Putin regime.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Meeks) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on H. Res. 956.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my resolution, which I 
introduced with Representative Spartz, to demonstrate bipartisan 
congressional support for the Ukrainian people.
  Today, we are witnessing the most devastating escalation of violence 
on the European Continent in decades.

[[Page H1248]]

Vladimir Putin has launched an unjustifiable, senseless war on a 
peaceful, sovereign nation, Ukraine. We are already seeing thousands of 
casualties, both Ukrainians and Russians, and hundreds of thousands of 
refugees fleeing to the European Union.
  As we speak, Putin's army is encircling Ukrainian cities, including 
the capital of Kyiv. His forces are bombing indiscriminately, 
ruthlessly killing civilians, and destroying critical infrastructure.
  In his despicable and utterly false claims to denazify Ukraine, he 
has bombed the memorial at Babyn Yar, where, just weeks ago, 
Representative Spartz and I stood with other Members of Congress at the 
site where tens of thousands were killed in massacres during the 
Holocaust. The streets we walked just a few weeks ago are now a 
battlefield, its citizens now soldiers.
  Let us be clear. This is but one person's war. This is caused by one 
individual by the name of Vladimir Putin. It is his war.
  Ukraine, the United States, and our allies have all actively engaged 
in a historic diplomatic push since before Russia marched their troops 
into the sovereign territory of Ukraine. Nevertheless, Putin chose the 
path of an unprovoked war instead.
  It is a peaceful Ukraine that is pleading for a cease-fire so that 
diplomacy and sanity can triumph over bloodshed and madness.
  Just this morning, the U.N. General Assembly held an emergency 
session that voted overwhelmingly against Russia's aggression. This 
vote reaffirms the values that we stand for and unequivocally 
demonstrates that the world stands with Ukraine.
  In this dark time, the United States has helped usher unprecedented 
amounts of assistance from the United States, Europe, and our allies 
and partners from all around the world, from North Africa to North 
America to the Indo-Pacific, to aid Ukraine in defense of its nation. I 
believe we must sustain that assistance as long as Ukrainians fight for 
a democratic future free from Russian oppression.
  The defensive security assistance we have provided and continue to 
provide Ukraine to help fend off its autocratic invader is absolutely 
critical.
  Also, it is of utmost importance that we continue to surge 
humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the countries in the region accepting 
the growing influx of refugees. As of yesterday, nearly 700,000 had 
left their homes, left their country to seek safety, unsure of whether 
they will ever again see their homes. Estimates project that that 
number will quickly reach into the millions, as well as those who are 
displaced but remain in Ukraine.
  Our allies in Europe have acted admirably, so they have been 
accepting those fleeing the destruction. We must do our part to help 
them as well.
  Amidst all the bloodshed, we are seeing astounding courage displayed 
by President Zelensky, the Ukrainian Government, and, above all, the 
Ukrainian people. We are also seeing the unity of the transatlantic 
alliance, more unified than ever in the face of Vladimir Putin's war.
  The people of Ukraine must continue to hear a message of loud and 
clear support from us, the United States Congress. They must see that 
we see their suffering, that we stand with them in their fight against 
an authoritarian invader, and that we will continue to usher as much 
support to their cause as the United States can muster.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution outlines the plan and sheds an 
indisputable light on the atrocities the Putin regime and the Russian 
military are committing. It demands an immediate cease-fire and full 
withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. It backs additional 
coordinated economic measures to hold Putin accountable.
  It reaffirms our NATO Article 5 commitments, reaffirms Ukrainian 
sovereignty over Crimea and Donbas. It highlights the unprecedented 
global multilateral efforts the Biden administration has helped usher.
  It states our commitment in the United States Congress to support the 
Ukrainian people throughout this terrifying ordeal and delivers perhaps 
the most important message a resolution can deliver right now, that the 
House of Representatives will never ever recognize any illegitimate 
government that Putin hopes to install in Ukraine. It is up to the 
Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian people alone to choose their 
political leadership and their future.
  I support this resolution, and I want to offer my sincerest thanks to 
Representative Spartz, but also to my ranking member. We worked 
diligently on this resolution, to make sure that this was a bipartisan 
resolution. I appreciate Ranking Member McCaul for his friendship and 
the way that we work together now, especially on this resolution.
  Democrat and Republican leadership worked collectively also. For 
working with me, I want to thank them. They have worked with me for 
what I believe is a very strong message, a unified message, to support 
the people of Ukraine.
  It is also a unified message to Vladimir Putin, whose objective was 
to divide us. He would have loved to have divided us from our European 
allies, loved to divide us from NATO, loved to divide us from within.
  But with this resolution, it becomes crystal clear: Mr. Putin, you 
can't win this. We are going to stand against you, and we are going to 
preserve democracy because that is what is at stake here.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just thank Chairman Meeks for his leadership. 
This is really a historic time, not for only this Nation, but the 
world, for Ukraine. It is a time when we come together, not as 
Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans in strong support of the 
people of Ukraine.
  I also want to thank Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, who is from 
Ukraine, who knows this story firsthand, and who very passionately has 
told her story about what it means, a country that has endured Hitler, 
a country that has endured Stalin, and now a country that is enduring 
Mr. Putin and Russian aggression.
  As we stand here, Ukrainians are fighting for their country and for 
their very lives. Vladimir Putin has launched the largest attack in 
Europe since World War II.

                              {time}  1430

  His war machine has unleashed a brutal barrage of missiles and 
rockets on innocent Ukrainian civilians. In fact, there are 40 miles 
just north of Kyiv of tanks and military weaponry that is getting ready 
to go in and encircle the capital city.
  But the people of Ukraine are inspiring the world with their bravery 
in the face of this, of Putin's evil and unprovoked attack. Fathers and 
mothers, teachers and shop owners, taxi drivers and students are all 
taking up arms, making Molotov cocktails, joining Ukrainian soldiers to 
defend their country.
  They are standing in front of the tanks, standing in front of the 
tanks. I have seen a child standing in front of a tank just like 
Tiananmen Square and the images coming out that are sent around the 
world so we can all witness this, this war against humanity and human 
rights, war crimes.
  They are risking their lives to fight for freedom, and that is what 
this Nation stands for, freedom and democracy.
  Despite the terror inflicted upon them by Putin's bombs and rockets, 
the Ukrainian people have courageously refused to relent. Vladimir 
Putin has underestimated them. He has underestimated their strength and 
their bravery. The resiliency of the Ukrainian people has been an 
inspiration, really, for the world.
  We were told in our briefings, well, this will last 2 or 3 days, but 
they have stood up. Putin needs to understand that he has 
miscalculated, and this will cost him a very, very high price. He has 
underestimated the strength and bravery to his own peril.
  So I am pleased that we are able to come together, not as Republicans 
or Democrats, as I said, but really, as Americans, as we should, to 
express and send a strong message in support of the people of Ukraine 
and against this tyrant and this monster who is savagely killing 
civilians, as I speak.
  We have all seen the images of the women and the children and the 
refugees as they leave their fathers and husbands behind who are left 
to fight this war.

[[Page H1249]]

  This resolution really does one thing: to tell the world in one 
united voice that the United States of America stands opposed to 
oppression, that we stand with the people of Ukraine, and we stand 
against Mr. Putin's aggression. We must ensure that Putin fails, and I 
believe long term, he will.
  I am hopeful that today's resolution will also lead to additional 
constructive bipartisan steps to properly arm the Ukrainians in any way 
possible, as they have told us, we don't need your troops, but we need 
your weapons to fight against the Russians.
  You know, there was a tweet that came out from a dead Russian soldier 
who sent a text to his mother, saying, I thought they were going to 
welcome us, that we were liberating them. And yet I am seeing 
Ukrainians and children being run over by our tanks. And he says to his 
mother, this is the worst thing I have ever seen.
  He lies. He is deceptive. He lied to his own people that he is 
liberating these Ukrainians who are oppressed by the Russians. This is 
no liberation. This is not a liberation ceremony.
  This is tyranny at its worst, and oppression. We need to continue to 
support them as long as even one Ukrainian citizen continues to stand 
up to Russia's tyranny.
  As in February 1941, facing a devastating bombing campaign by the 
Nazis--we can see the parallels here--this is similar to Hitler 
invading Poland.
  When they talked about the blitz, Winston Churchill made a direct 
plea to the United States for assistance, and it is timeless. It 
actually resonates today. He said, ``Put your confidence in us. . . . 
We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the 
sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and 
exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools, and we will finish the 
job.''
  Mr. Speaker, this is what the Ukrainian people want. It is what they 
are asking for. It is what they need. It is what the United States of 
America and our NATO allies will deliver.
  Today, facing the onslaught of Putin's missiles and tanks, the 
Ukrainian President, Zelensky, a most courageous leader, as we have 
seen, who didn't run away from his country like President Ghani. He is 
in the bunker right now, knowing that his very life and his survival is 
on the line.
  He made the same plea to us, and today, we have the opportunity to 
tell Ukraine that we have confidence in them by supporting this 
measure, that we will give them the tools they need to finish the job.
  So let me, once again, thank the chairman. This is when the Foreign 
Affairs Committee is at its best, when we come together as Americans. 
As Eliot Engel always said, partisanship stops at the water's edge, and 
I firmly believe that commitment as well.
  I urge my Members to support this. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEKS: Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), who just recently was walking the streets 
of Kyiv, talking to the people, listening to them, and their 
determination to preserve their democracy. Mr.   David Cicilline.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Meeks for his 
extraordinary leadership in this very important moment.
  I rise in strong support of H. Res. 956 and in solidarity with the 
people of Ukraine.
  On February 24, Vladimir Putin thought he was making another step 
toward realizing his delusional pursuit of reconstituting the U.S.S.R. 
when he ordered the brutal invasion of the sovereign and peaceful 
nation of Ukraine.
  Vladimir Putin thought the Ukrainian people would give in quickly to 
the violence and abandon their freedoms.
  Vladimir Putin thought President Zelensky would flee and capitulate 
to Russian demands.
  Vladimir Putin thought the world would turn a blind eye toward 
Russian aggression.
  Vladimir Putin thought wrong.
  In fact, as Chairman Meeks said, we saw firsthand the determination 
and the will of the Ukrainian people to fight to preserve their own 
country and their own freedoms. They are doing that today, fighting day 
by day, hour by hour, to protect their country and secure a free and 
democratic future for themselves and their families.
  The free world has rallied together to impose devastating sanctions 
against Russia, against the Russian economy, and to hold the Putin 
regime and his enablers to account for their crimes.
  I strongly support this resolution, and I know the United States and 
its allies are united behind the people of Ukraine, behind the values 
of freedom and democracy and against the tyranny of a thuggish 
dictator, Vladimir Putin.
  I thank Chairman Meeks for his extraordinary leadership and thank 
Ranking Member McCaul as well.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz), the lead Republican on this 
resolution, who was born and raised in Ukraine. Her grandmother is 
still there and has told her the stories of Hitler and Stalin and how 
bad this situation is on the ground.
  Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Speaker, I am very humbled to stand on the floor of 
this great institution with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle 
to co-lead this important resolution and to show that this greatest 
country, the leaders of the free world, are going to stand up to the 
atrocities and tyrannies that are happening right now.
  I am very proud to have a strong, freedom-fighting Ukrainian 
heritage. I actually was born in the Soviet Union, when Ukraine was 
under that evil country.
  I am so proud that strong, brave Ukrainians are willing to fight 
again and again to be free. It should inspire all of us. Their bravery 
and actions are unbelievable. It should teach us, and maybe remind us, 
what it means to be a free country and how hard it is to get your 
rights and freedoms back when you lose them. We had so many people die 
for our freedoms, so let's value and cherish them.
  I am very happy to see that this institution, when times are tough, 
when we have to get together, we can get together and show our allies 
we will stand together and show our adversaries and enemies we will 
stand together. Not just stand together, but we will also lead the 
world.
  I also want to tell the Ukrainian people that the American people are 
inspired and humbled. They see your struggles and pray with you and 
stand with you. This resolution from we, the people, from this United 
States Congress, is evidence of it.
  I also want to tell the Russian people--I actually have some Don 
Cossack heritage--I know it is tough for you. I know what President 
Putin has done to you. It is awful. But you need to have the backbone 
to stand up, or we will find you in history worse than you could 
imagine. So you stand up and stop this atrocity before it causes more 
damage. What is happening there on the ground, it is not a war. It is 
slaughtering, killing of the Ukrainian people. You are killing your 
fellow Orthodox Christians and East Slavs, and they went through 
history with oppression and suppression. How can you stand with that? I 
know that your propaganda is strong. I know they tell you things that 
are awful. But open your eyes. Don't be part of it. Tell your 
government that they have to stop this elimination and extinction of 
people.
  I also want to thank everyone here in this country for loving 
freedoms, for supporting freedoms, and being willing to be part of this 
challenge on the right side. Our actions should be decisive. In times 
like this, they require strong leadership and strong actions.
  We, as an independent branch of our Government--I always say we are 
co-equal, but first among equals because we do have the power of the 
purse and the power of war. So we have a lot of powers for a reason, 
and that is why our Founding Fathers gave us this power, because we are 
the people who should put pressure on our President to be more decisive 
and strong and have some stronger actions.
  On sanctions, we have to be tougher. We need to go after the energy 
sector. We need to make sure that a lot of oligarchs that are not on 
the list are there, they should be on the list, the key oligarchs. They 
understand that it is not just the Russian people that will be feeling 
the pain, that already they suppressed and stole money from them, but 
they will start feeling the pain.
  We also need to make sure that we will have a way to affect the 
financial system much more decisively.

[[Page H1250]]

  We also need to make sure that these war crimes are going to go to 
international courts, and these people that make decisions on killing, 
on genocide, and using illegal weapons will also bear some 
responsibility.

                              {time}  1445

  I also think we have a responsibility to provide safe passage in the 
humanitarian corridor, and I hope we will have other allies working 
with us and help us on that.
  But most important, we need to make sure that we will provide proper 
defensive legal aid to the Ukrainians that they can defend themselves 
from this extermination before it is too late. We must act, and I am 
very honored to be part of this effort to show that we are willing to 
lead as this institution.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Allred), who was walking the streets of Ukraine with us just a few 
weeks ago.
  Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this bipartisan 
resolution supporting the people of Ukraine.
  As the chairman said, I was in Ukraine just a few weeks ago, in the 
beautiful city of Kyiv. I met the very people who today, despite facing 
a ruthless enemy, are waging an inspiring campaign to save their 
democracy, including a young woman who told me she was going to get her 
white wine and Kalashnikov and defend her country. And she is.
  This resolution tells the world, and most importantly the Ukrainian 
people, that the United States Congress stands with you. President 
Biden has used every tool at his disposal to unite the world in 
punishing Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked and unjustified war, and 
Congress will act to provide more resources to that effort.
  Because our work continues to further help Ukraine defend itself and 
further isolate Russia. Putin has a choice: To pursue his long-term 
strategic goals or to continue this unnecessary and illegal war on 
Ukraine. He cannot do both.
  We are united as a country and as a Congress in standing with the 
people of Ukraine in their fight for their democracy. I urge all of my 
colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and one 
of the longest serving Members of Congress as well.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, over the weekend I met with 
over 100 Ukrainian Americans in my district office in Freehold, New 
Jersey. They told me how their families and friends in Ukraine are 
coping with Putin's barbaric invasion, the loss of life, the many who 
are wounded, and their escalating concern as the bombs and missiles 
rain down on civilian targets.
  According to UNHCR, about 876,000 Ukrainian refugees have left, that 
is as of March 1st, and about half have found safety in Poland. Most 
are women, children, and the elderly.
  Despite facing an existential threat, the free world continues to be 
astonished by the Ukrainian people's strength, courage, resiliency, and 
desire to fight. Interviews coming out of Ukraine, especially in the 
bunkers, underscores the Ukrainian people's resolve.
  Let me just say how great it is to see Zelensky, who has stood up. He 
is a true hero and a tenacious leader, the President of Ukraine. This 
is Putin's war, and he is a war criminal, Mr. Speaker. Putin's puppet 
in Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is also a war criminal, and like 
Serbian Slobodan Milosevic and President Charles Taylor of Liberia, 
they need to be prosecuted and held to account for their war crimes.
  I would remind my colleagues that in a 2014 speech, right here, to a 
joint session of the Congress, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko did 
ask the Obama administration for military assistance, which he did not 
get, to defend against Putin's invasion of Crimea. He said, ``One 
cannot win the war with blankets.''
  He got several standing ovations, all of us were on our feet. But he 
got only more blankets. Let's learn from that.
  Last June, as Russia deployed more combat forces on the border, 
Politico and others reported that there were delays in providing the 
kind of military aid that Zelensky really wanted. I did ask Deputy 
Secretary of State Wendy Sherman today for a timeline, on how did this 
all come about. Did he ask for more and did not get it? We need to know 
this to learn from it, so we get it right the next time.
  Mr. Speaker, over the weekend I met with over one hundred Ukrainian 
Americans at my district office in Freehold.
   They told me how their families and friends in Ukraine are coping 
with Putin's barbaric invasion--the loss of life, the wounded and 
escalating concern as bombs & missiles rain down on civilian targets.
   They appealed for help.
   The humanitarian crisis is exploding--both inside the country and 
for those seeking refuge.
   As of March 1st, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees 
(UNHCR)--there are more than 876,000 Ukrainian refugees--with about 
half finding safety in Poland.
   Most are women, children, and the elderly.
   Despite facing an existential threat, however, the free world 
continues to be astonished by the Ukrainian people's strength, courage, 
resiliency and desire to fight.
   Interviews coming out of Ukraine--including in bunkers--underscore 
the Ukrainian people's resolve.
   Under their extraordinarily heroic and tenacious leader--President 
Volodymyr Zelensky--the people of Ukraine are rallying to defend their 
beloved homeland.
   This is Putin's war--and he is a war criminal.
   Putin's puppet in Belarus--Alexander Lukashenko--is also a war 
criminal.
   And like Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and President Charles 
Taylor of Liberia, they need to be prosecuted and held to account for 
war crimes.
   Now more than ever, the United States and our allies must provide 
much-needed military equipment and humanitarian aid to the people of 
Ukraine as they fight to defend their freedom from a brutal 
dictatorship.
   I would remind my colleagues that in a 2014 speech to a joint 
session of the U.S. Congress, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko 
asked the Obama Administration for military assistance--which he didn't 
get--to defend against Putin's invasion of Crimea and said ``One cannot 
win the war with blankets''.
   He got several standing ovations--and more blankets.
   Last June, as Russia deployed more combat forces on Ukraine's 
border, Politico and others reported that a modest military aid package 
had been put on hold. Key items under consideration for the package 
included short-range air defense systems, small arms and more anti-tank 
weapons . . .''
   Robust stockpiles of weapons could have bought deterrence--and if 
necessary, a means for the Ukrainians to defend themselves from Putin's 
violence.
   At a Foreign Affairs hearing earlier today, I asked Deputy Secretary 
of State Wendy Sherman what Ukrainian President Zelensky asked for over 
the past year--including air defense systems--and what he did or didn't 
get from the Biden Administration?
   Her response may come in a closed door hearing next week.
   Comprehensive economic sanctions must degrade Putin's capacity to 
wage war.
   Some highly efficacious sanctions have not yet been imposed, 
however.
   Russian oil revenues help fuel Putin's aggression in Ukraine. Not a 
drop of Russian oil exports should reach our shores.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Castro), the chair of the Subcommittee on International 
Development, International Organizations, and Global Corporate Social 
Impact.
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House 
Resolution 956 to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
  Earlier today, the United Nations General Assembly voted 
overwhelmingly to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demand an 
immediate withdrawal of their forces from Ukraine.
  Only four nations out of 193 stood with Russia. 140 stood with 
Ukraine. The world is united in condemning this invasion, and the House 
of Representatives must speak as one and lead the way.
  As we debate, Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians continue. 
Hundreds of thousands huddle in bomb shelters. Over 600,000 Ukrainians 
have already fled the country. Vladimir Putin is on a disastrous quest 
to rebuild the Russian empire at the expense of Ukrainian sovereignty.
  This should be a simple vote.
  Now is our chance to show that Congress stands with the people of 
Ukraine. Now is our time to do what is

[[Page H1251]]

right. That is why I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Chabot), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Asia, the 
Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also 
want to thank Chairman Meeks and Representative Spartz for their 
leadership on this very important measure.
  Last week, the world watched in horror as Vladimir Putin shattered 
the peace in Europe and began an unprovoked assault on Ukraine and its 
innocent people. Put simply, this is the largest land war in Europe 
since World War II, a war that we hoped would never come again. We 
cannot condemn this senseless, brutal, and illegal invasion in strong 
enough terms.
  In the face of this onslaught, the Ukrainian people are demonstrating 
incredible bravery as Russia brings to bear its overwhelming military 
firepower, at least in terms of soldiers and weaponry and equipment. 
But in terms of the combatants on the ground, one side is fighting for 
conquest. The other side is fighting for their homes and their 
families, and most importantly, their freedom.
  Thus far, at least, freedom is prevailing. The Ukrainians, and 
President Zelensky especially, are rallying the free world and 
demonstrating once again that free men and women would rather die than 
submit to the forces of tyranny.
  As we stand here today to support the people of Ukraine, let us 
remember that their fight for freedom is far from over. We must ensure 
that they get the support that they need, that Putin is held 
accountable for his war crimes--and they are war crimes--and that he 
does not snuff out forever the light of democracy in Ukraine because 
that is what he wants to do. Freedom must prevail.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the president of the NATO Parliamentary 
Assembly, who has seen with his own eyes the unity that we now have 
with our NATO allies.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the distinguished 
chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and my friend, the 
distinguished ranking member.
  Today is a test for liberal democracy all over the world, and 
particularly for us as Americans because today we witness the cost in 
blood, sweat, and tears in the fight for freedom that liberal democracy 
represents and provides: The simple desire of another people to have 
what we have and that all too often we take for granted, the desire to 
be a free people, under no one's shadow, under no one's yoke, and they 
are willing to put their bodies on the line to fight for that simple 
principle.
  Weak punditry all too often has cast the opinion that liberal 
democracy is on the decline. Well, not in Ukraine and not here. And not 
with our allies and not at the United Nations. Because the scales have 
fallen from eyes. The threat is real, and so are the stakes.
  All of us today must be Ukrainian. All of us must join that fight. 
All of us must understand that freedom, liberal democracy are resilient 
but also fragile. They must always be perfected but also defended.
  This resolution today is not just about an expression of 
congressional solidarity. It is a recommitment by this body in the 
principles that founded this Nation that another people are fighting 
for to gain today.
  I urge passage and proudly support this effort.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the 
great State of Texas (Mr. Pfluger), a member of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee.
  Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day, a tragic day, as we 
witness the horrific images that are coming out of Ukraine.
  I was there just 4\1/2\ short weeks ago. I met with President 
Zelensky. I listened to the people on the streets of Kyiv. President 
Zelensky is a lion of a leader. He has displayed courage to the West. 
When he said, ``I don't need a ride, I need ammunition,'' I think that 
all of us should look at that, we should listen to that. The time to 
act is now. We don't have time to wait. Now is the time to act to help 
our Ukrainian partners. He didn't ask for troops inside Ukraine. He is 
asking for help.
  I hope that we will put Midland over Moscow, as the President last 
night in this Chamber said that it is time to buy American product. 
Energy security is national security, and that is absolutely what this 
body should be doing is putting our own energy security into the hands 
of our partners and allies so that they can defend and deter against 
the malign influence of Vladimir Putin.
  Our heart and our prayers go out to the people of Ukraine, and our 
thanks to President Zelensky for his leadership.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio 
(Ms. Kaptur), the cofounder and co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus, who has 
worked on this her entire congressional career.

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Meeks for his unyielding 
leadership on this important bill and Ranking Member McCaul for setting 
a tone for this entire Congress that we succeed when we work together, 
particularly in a cause as great as this, liberty for a country that 
voted for independence. Thirty years ago, 90 percent of the people 
voted to be independent of tyrannical Russia, and today now they are 
fighting again.
  The bipartisan nature of this bill today would warm the hearts of 
great American leaders, like President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower 
or General George Marshall or President John Kennedy or President 
Ronald Reagan, because across Europe they fully understood how many 
American lives were given to the cause of liberty so that we, their 
descendants, would pass it on to our descendants.
  We are here today in that fight because Ukraine is the scrimmage line 
for liberty in Europe today. The valor of the people of Ukraine against 
the Russian state is extraordinary. Our young people are learning what 
the price of liberty is, sadly, and the people of Ukraine are inspiring 
the world. We think so much of their valor, their fight, and their 
desire to join the world of free nations. May God bless them and may 
God bless America, and thank you for understanding a united America 
always wins for liberty.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a dynamic Representative from the great State 
of Texas.

                              {time}  1500

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and 
I rise enthusiastically to support H. Res. 956 and as well to make 
mention of H. Res. 943 that was introduced by myself and   Steve Cohen 
on February 25.
  Let me salute this resolution that is bipartisan that immediately 
calls on a ceasefire by Putin. This is Putin's war. H. Res. 943 has 
been affirmed by its call for the shutting down of our airways to 
Russian carriers, and that has been done.
  But the real point is that we are now standing firmly for democracy 
and the fight of individual grandmothers and young people and 
individual Ukrainians with their bare hands and with their weapons that 
have been given to fight for democracy. But the real question that we 
are also standing for, and thank you for the United Nations vote, is 
that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who is killing children.
  Mitka, a parliamentarian that I met at the OSCE of which we were a 
part of meeting in Lithuania and Vienna, talking to the soldiers that 
were on the border of Belarus and Lithuania--thank you to those 
soldiers that are now placed, almost 100,000 U.S. soldiers--is that 
Putin is killing without cause. He is killing grandmothers. He is 
killing children. Can we tolerate this bloodshed? No, we will not. And 
we will stand with this resolution to demand that democracy stands in 
the region and that we denounce his actions.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 956, a 
resolution condemning the unprovoked aggression and invasion ordered by 
Vladimir Putin, the authoritarian head of the Russian Federation 
against the sovereign nation of Ukraine and supporting the right of the 
people of Ukraine to freely determine their future, including their 
country's relationship with other nations and international 
organizations, without interference, intimidation, or coercion by other 
countries.

[[Page H1252]]

   I thank the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
Congressman Meeks of New York, for introducing this bipartisan 
resolution and urge all Members to support it to show the solidarity of 
the people of the United States with the people of Ukraine.
   Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution because it calls upon and 
commends the Biden Administration to honor and abide by the commitments 
undertaken by the United States pursuant to Article 5 of the North 
Atlantic Treaty, signed at Washington, District of Columbia, on April 
4, 1949, and entered into force on August 24, 1949.
   The resolution also commits this body to the promotion and 
protection of democratic values, transparent and accountable government 
institutions, and support for needed economic structural reforms in 
Ukraine, including in the fiscal, energy, pension, and banking sectors, 
among others.
   The resolution also calls upon and commends the Biden Administration 
for assembling and working with an international coalition of the 
world's leading nations to ensure that all nations refuse to recognize 
the illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and to ensure 
that the Russian Federation is held accountable and sustain maximum 
economic damage from the imposition of sanctions as a consequence of 
its utter disregard for international law and norms.
   I am particularly pleased that the Biden Administration has adopted 
the recommendation advanced in H. Res. 943, a resolution I introduced 
on February 25, 2002 condemning this unprovoked attack by the Russian 
Federation, to ban all Russian airlines, including Aeroflot, from 
entering the airspace of the United States or landing on its soil.
   The United States is strongly committed to the sovereignty, 
independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
   The United States strongly supports efforts to assist Ukraine to 
defend its territory against military aggression by the Russian 
Federation and by separatist and paramilitary forces.
   Ukraine was the second-most populous and powerful of the fifteen 
republics of the former and disintegrated Union of Soviet Socialist 
Republics and the hub of the union's agricultural production, defense 
industries, and military arsenal.
   In the three decades since gaining its independence, Ukraine has 
sought to forge its own path as a sovereign state and sought closer 
economic, social, and political ties with the free market and 
democratic nations of the West.
   Since 2013, the Russian Federation has undertaken a campaign of 
political, economic, and military aggression against Ukraine, including 
the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a civilian airliner, 
by Russian-backed Ukrainian separatists using a Russian-made missile 
taking the lives of all 298 innocent persons on board.
   In February 2014, the military of the Russia Federation, without 
merit or cause, invaded the eastern part of the free and independent 
country of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, and backed a 
separatist insurgency in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, where 
fighting has killed over 14,000 people.
   The United States, a strategic ally of Ukraine, reacted swiftly to 
the Russian invasion, condemning the military action in strong and 
bipartisan fashion, and providing military, humanitarian, and non-
military financial assistance to the determined but beleaguered nation 
of Ukraine, which since 2014 has totaled approximately $1.5 billion.
   On September 14, 2014, the House of Representatives adopted H. Res. 
726, a resolution supporting the right of the people of Ukraine to 
freely determine their future, including their country's relationship 
with other nations and international organizations, without 
interference, intimidation, or coercion by other countries, and 
committed itself to solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
   Interference and unprovoked aggressions by the Russia Federation 
ordered and led by Vladimir Putin continued unabated, including the 
mobilization and stationing of 150,000 Russian troops surrounding 
Ukraine and armed forces positioned in Belarus to attack Ukraine from 
the north, including war planes and offensive missile systems, and the 
movement of Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea to Ukraine's south, 
including amphibious assault ships, missile cruisers, and submarines, 
and the positioning of blood and medical equipment into position on 
their border.
   Vladimir Putin sought authorization from the Russian parliament to 
use military force outside of Russian territory by staging a fraudulent 
on-camera meeting of his Security Council to grandstand for the Russian 
public and by recognizing sovereign Ukrainian territory as so-called 
independent republics in clear violation, again, of international law, 
all of which was intended to set the stage for further pretexts and 
further provocations by Russia Federation to make further aggressions 
against Ukraine by military action.
   Vladimir Putin rejected every good-faith effort the United States 
and its allies and partners made to address mutual security concerns 
through dialogue to avoid needless conflict and avert human suffering.
   On February 23, 2022, the Russia Federation military, at the 
direction of Vladimir Putin, began a premeditated brutal assault on the 
people of Ukraine without provocation, without justification, without 
necessity, making outlandish, false, and baseless claims that Ukraine 
was about to invade and launch a war against Russia and that Ukraine 
was prepared to use chemical weapons, and that Ukraine had committed a 
genocide.
   These actions were taken by Vladimir Putin at the very moment that 
the United Nations Security Council was meeting to stand up for 
Ukraine's sovereignty to stave off invasion, culminating in missile 
strikes on historic cities across Ukraine, followed by air raids and 
the invasion of Russian tanks and troops.
   Mr. Speaker, through this resolution the United States strongly 
condemns and opposes the unprovoked invasion and egregious act of 
aggression against sovereign state of Ukraine by the Russian 
Federation, the most provocative and destabilizing act of foreign 
aggression since the 1938 invasion of the Sudetenland by the Third 
Reich led by Adolph Hitler.
   I ask all members to join me in voting for H. Res. 956 to support 
the right of the people of Ukraine to freely determine their future, 
including their country's relationship with other nations and 
international organizations, without interference, intimidation, or 
coercion by other countries.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Green), a dynamic Representative.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. And still I rise, Mr. Speaker. And I rise on this 
historic occasion to compliment the chairperson and the ranking member 
of the Foreign Affairs Committee. What they are doing today will be 
hailed in the annals of history as that which was necessary to help our 
friends in a time of need.
  Mr. Speaker, those who say that if we leave the world alone, the 
world will leave us alone are wrong. The world will find its way to our 
door just as it is now because Dr. King's words are so right. Life is 
an inescapable network of mutuality tied to a single garment of 
destiny. What impacts one directly impacts all indirectly. What is 
happening to Ukraine directly impacts us indirectly.
  We have a duty, a responsibility, and an obligation to help them and 
to make sure that when the final word is written, it will be said that 
we did all that we could to protect democracy.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, it is now my honor to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority leader 
of the United States House of Representatives.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the chairman of this 
committee, for yielding. We have traveled in various parts of the world 
together. We have seen pain, and we have seen progress. We are seeing 
pain now, and all I can say with respect to the remarks that were just 
made by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), amen.
  I thank Mr. McCaul for his working not as a Republican, and I thank 
Mr. Meeks not as a Democrat, but as Americans, Americans confronted 
with a crisis, a crisis for democracy, a crisis for the global 
community. I thank them both because they have, in the best traditions 
of this House and of this country, worked together to bring to the 
floor a resolution, which, indeed, speaks to the pain and to the moral 
responsibility of all those who love freedom and democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, as Russian missiles rained down on the 
cities of his country, Ukraine's heroic President, President Zelensky, 
virtually addressed the European Parliament in Brussels.
  Mr. Speaker, President Zelensky spoke of a horrendous missile attack 
that had just struck the main square of the besieged city of Kharkiv. 
``This,'' he said, is ``the largest square in Europe . . . it is called 
`freedom square.' '' He went on to say: ``And believe you me, in every 
square today, no matter what it is called, it is going to be called 
`freedom square.' In every city of our country. Nobody is going to 
break us. We are strong.''

[[Page H1253]]

  Frankly, Mr. Speaker, he didn't have to tell us that. We have seen 
that strength. We have seen that courage. We have seen that 
determination in the face of overwhelming force confronting them.
  These past 7 days, the people of Ukraine have indeed shown the world 
they are strong, they are courageous, they are united, and they are 
resolved to defend their freedom and their democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, I served as co-chairman of the Commission on Security 
and Cooperation in Europe, otherwise known as the Helsinki Commission, 
for 10 years from 1985 to 1995. It was a historic time where democracy 
won the Cold War. It was in the final years of that Cold War that 
Ukraine in the nineties emerged and was guaranteed essentially by the 
international community, but certainly by Russia and the United States, 
that they would be a sovereign nation not just in the east but in the 
west as well.
  I had the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to travel to Kyiv, to Riga, to 
Vilnius, to Tallinn, to Sofia, to other cities behind the Iron Curtain 
on a relatively regular basis during those 10 years, certainly in the 6 
years from 1985 to 1991. In each place I saw a ``freedom square'' where 
either before or shortly after my visit people would gather to demand 
the right to choose their own future, their own leaders, and their own 
laws.
  I saw in many others who traveled to those cities and to those 
countries a yearning, I saw the commitment to democracy, their courage 
and determination.
  President Zelensky is correct: ``Wherever democracy thrives, every 
public square is a `freedom square.' '' It may have another name, but 
it is a ``freedom square.''
  Americans have sacrificed much over the generations to secure our 
freedoms and to our great credit the freedom of others around the 
world.
  I tell people, Mr. Speaker, that America is the nation that had the 
most hegemony of power and used it so without acquiring the nations 
that it protected or imposing its will on the nations that it protected 
which is the least acquisitive superpower in the history of the world.
  Americans have sacrificed much over the generations to secure our 
freedoms and the freedoms of others. The land of the free and the home 
of the brave.
  Now, the tyranny and autocracy of Vladimir Putin tests us again.
  Though American forces will not be engaged directly in this war, that 
does not mean that America is sitting on the sidelines. Far from it. 
And we must be engaged. This resolution speaks to engagement.
  President Biden has unified not only NATO but a broad coalition of 
the world's democratic nations and those committed to the post-war 
order of respecting peace, borders, and, yes, diplomacy.
  Dozens of nations have partnered to stand up to Putin and to support 
the freedom fighters in Ukraine. Together, we have imposed punishing 
sanctions that are already hurting Putin's regime.
  We are already seeing thousands of Russians taking to the streets in 
their country to demand that Putin end this unjust war, this unprovoked 
war, this criminal war, and stop the unnecessary death and destruction 
on both sides for which Vladimir Putin alone bears responsibility.

  Today, this House, the people's House representing the greatest 
democracy in history, the leading democratic nation in the world, is 
expressing our support for the Ukrainian people in their struggle for 
freedom and self-government.
  I hope and I urge that this resolution pass with not a single 
negative vote. Let there be no mistake throughout the globe that, yes, 
we have differences between Republicans and Democrats, but we in this 
House are all Americans committed to freedom, committed to democracy, 
committed to the peaceful relations between nations.
  It recognizes the egregious and inhumane actions undertaken by the 
Russian military at Putin's command, including the shelling of civilian 
targets and the killing of innocents in order to instill fear and 
weaken Ukrainian resolve.
  We know that resolve, however, Mr. Speaker, will not be broken. We 
have seen it in the eyes of the President, and we have seen it in the 
eyes of the citizens in those freedom squares.
  This resolution further recognizes importantly that Russian 
aggression against Ukraine did not begin last week. It began as soon as 
the Ukrainian people rejected a Putin-backed autocrat, established a 
true democracy, and sought the security and protection of stronger 
bonds with its fellow democracies in Europe and NATO, which, of course, 
it had every right as a sovereign nation to do.
  Putin sent his forces to occupy Crimea. Mr. Speaker, in my view we 
were not as determined that that should not happen at that time. We 
must not repeat that mistake. Putin instigated a violent, separatist 
uprising in the Donbas region that has festered for 8 long years.
  His unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine comes after it 
became increasingly clear that the separatists could not achieve 
Putin's expansionist aims on their own. He tried to do it 
surreptitiously through agents. It did not succeed, so he took the next 
step, a tragic, criminal step.
  This resolution also makes clear that the United States will continue 
to support Ukraine by providing both military and humanitarian 
assistance while maintaining painful sanctions against Putin for as 
long as he pursues this war of choice.
  In no small part, this resolution puts into action the promise that 
President Kennedy made when he took office at the height of the Cold 
War.
  This will not be a free war for any of us in the free world. It is 
going to cost us something. Gas prices may go up. But we want to stand 
on freedom's side.
  I am in politics largely because John Kennedy ran for President as I 
was at the University of Maryland, and I was inspired by his call to 
service.
  I would urge all of you to read one more time John Kennedy's 
inaugural address. It is an extraordinarily inspiring address, an 
address not only to the American people, but to the entire world. And 
in it he said this: ``Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well 
or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any 
hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and 
success of liberty,'' and of those freedom squares to which President 
Zelensky referred.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. Speaker, Americans and our allies are being asked to pay a price, 
to bear a burden, to meet some hardship in the days and weeks and 
months ahead, not to sustain fire, not to live in buildings being 
bombed, not to have to move from their home to a refuge or another 
country, but some hardship.
  I know that our fellow Americans are up to the task. They have always 
been up to the task because those who say we take freedom for granted, 
who say the cost is too high, the burden too great, have always 
underestimated the American people.
  When we see Putin's corrupt, evil, and menacing grab for power and 
tyrannical control, we are reminded of the tyrants and evil ideologies 
that Americans have fought and vanquished through our collective 
commitment and shared sacrifices.
  Mr. Speaker, today, let us make this House Freedom Square. Let us 
stand with those who are assaulted by a tyrant.
  The generation before mine, John Kennedy referred to England as ``Why 
England Slept.'' If we do not meet this tyrant now, we will pay greatly 
later.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with these brave Ukrainians who stand 
for freedom and liberty and international law. Let us all 
overwhelmingly, unanimously vote for this resolution and send a 
message, not just to Putin but to all the tyrants of the world who 
would test us once again, that we will not blink.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader for his remarks. I think it is very 
important this Chamber passes this resolution unanimously to send one 
voice to Putin that the American people stand for the Ukrainian people 
and against Mr. Putin.
  I think it is no coincidence--to me, it is fitting--that today is 
Texas Independence Day. My forefathers fought for freedom and liberty 
for the same purpose, from tyranny.
  Since 2014, the world has watched the Ukrainian people fight to forge 
their own destiny in the face of violent attacks by Russia. They are 
facing down

[[Page H1254]]

Putin's missiles and tanks, risking life and limb for their freedom 
today.
  As President Zelensky warned the Russian troops invading his country 
just a few days ago, as he sits in the bunker, putting his life on the 
line, he said: ``If they try to take our country, our freedom, our 
lives, the lives of our children, we will be defending ourselves. . . . 
As you attack, it will be our faces you see, not our backs.''
  Today, we have the opportunity to honor his leadership and the 
bravery of the Ukrainian people, to send a strong message to these 
brave men and women that they are not alone, that the United States 
stands with them and will continue to stand with them for as long as it 
takes.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues to vote in support, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the camera of history is rolling on all of us today. 
What is happening today children yet unborn will be studying and 
looking at what we did, what we stood for, or did not. They will be 
studying in their history books whether or not when democracy was at 
stake, when sovereign nations were in peril, whether or not we stood up 
and stood out to protect freedom, sovereignty of states, independence, 
or not.
  The fact of the matter is, if we don't stand up now, those same 
children that I am talking about may not be able to live in a 
democratic society. That is why this is so important.
  Putin may think that he is encircling Kyiv now, but this United 
Nations vote, where 141 nations said they are not going to allow that 
to happen, is encircling Putin and his thugs. And we will stay there 
for as long as it takes until freedom rings because that is what this 
is all about.
  I think of today those that I met when I was in Kyiv, those that I 
had dinner with, those that worked in our U.S. Embassy, those that were 
driving taxis. As I see the pictures of them walking these streets 
today in front of Russian tanks, unafraid--I saw a picture of a woman 
standing and pointing at a Russian soldier, saying they would die there 
before she gives up. That is what this is all about.
  The words that the activist told me while I was in Kyiv, that we are 
ready to fight, just provide us the support that we need to protect our 
country and freedom.
  Slava Ukraini. Glory to Ukraine and its people.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McCaul and Congresswoman Spartz for working 
with me so that we can make a bipartisan message right here on the 
people's floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 956.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 426, 
nays 3, not voting 4, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 51]

                               YEAS--426

     Adams
     Aderholt
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Allred
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Auchincloss
     Axne
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Barragan
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bentz
     Bera
     Bergman
     Beyer
     Bice (OK)
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NC)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
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                                NAYS--3

     Gosar
     Massie
     Rosendale

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Bost
     Butterfield
     Price (NC)
     Taylor

                          ____________________