[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 92 (Thursday, May 26, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2726-S2727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                UKRAINE

  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, before we leave Washington, I want to make 
a few comments about the war in Ukraine.
  Our allies in Ukraine are fighting like tigers against a Russian 
invasion that is without foundation, that is illegal under 
international law and is one of the most brutal acts of war in the 21st 
century--maybe in any century.
  I just want to let the Ukrainian people know that the American people 
are with you in your struggle for freedom.
  There have been some comments made by folks whom I respect talking 
about the need to end this war, where Ukraine has to recognize certain 
parts of their territory as actually Russian territory. I cannot 
disagree more. Any effort to impose upon Ukraine a ceasefire that leads 
to a peace agreement where they have to give territory to Russia is not 
ending a war; it will be starting new wars.
  Have we learned nothing from the last century? Appeasing Putin in 
Ukraine makes him want more, not less. We found that to be true in the 
1930s with Hitler in Germany.
  So this idea that Ukraine needs to come to the table and give up 
Ukrainian land to Putin makes zero sense to me. All the people who have 
been fighting in Ukraine would have died in vain. And that line of 
reasoning I reject completely.
  Here is the state of play: Due to the commitment of the Ukrainian 
people to fight for their freedom and their homeland, Russia has just 
been delivered a mighty blow. Their army is in decline. They just 
changed their laws so that the limitation on service from 18 to 40 now 
has been lifted. There was a 63-year-old retired general fighter pilot 
shot down in Ukraine, a Russian general. All I can say is that the 
Ukrainians have met their end of the bargain.
  This body, expressing the will of the American people, passed a $40 
billion aid package. That is a lot of money, but you either pay now or 
later when it comes to Putin. I am convinced, along with most of my 
colleagues here, that if Putin is successful in Ukraine, he only goes 
further; he never stops. His words, not mine--he wants to reconstruct 
the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire, whatever you would like to call 
it. There are other nations in his crosshairs.
  So the battle in Ukraine will stabilize Europe if it is done right. 
If the battle in Ukraine ends where Putin feels like he got away with 
mass war crimes and was able to get territory by force of arms, he will 
not stop. China will, surely as I am speaking, have a green light to go 
into Taiwan.
  So those who argue that we need to end this war by giving Ukrainian 
territory to Putin, you are starting another war in Asia, most likely. 
You are going to create a larger appetite for Putin, and I think you 
have lost the lessons of the last century.
  We have much to understand about the nature of this war. We have 
Russian diplomats resigning in protest. We have people at concerts 
shouting some pretty vulgar things about the war. You have a Russian 
military that is under siege in terms of manning. The more weapons we 
provide to the Ukrainians, the more lethal they become on the 
battlefield, the more likely this war ends on favorable terms.
  So I just want to remind the American people as we go into this 
holiday, remember those who sacrificed for our freedom. There is a hot 
war in Europe.
  It is 2022. Did anybody really believe after the fall of the Berlin 
Wall that we would be having a war with Russia in Europe trying to take 
over a sovereign country called Ukraine? Well, that is where we are, 
and I guess one thing to learn about mankind is that the calendar may 
change, but there is a dark side of mankind--powerful people trying to 
push the less powerful around; people trying to take things through 
force of arms rather than the rule of law.
  So I want the Ukrainian people to know that I am with you. I think 
most Americans are with you. We don't want you to entice Putin to go 
beyond Ukraine by surrendering your territory. We stand with you. Not 1 
inch of Ukrainian territory should be given to Putin because he chose 
force of arms. The rule of law versus the rule of guns is at stake. I 
am hoping that we will send you more lethal weapons, not less, that we 
will increase your capability to inflict pain on the Russian military.

  I do believe that people in Russia are beginning to understand that, 
with Putin, they have a very limited future; that if you continue to 
support Putin, the world will isolate you further; that we are not 
going to forgive and forget the war crimes.
  NATO is getting bigger. Finland and Sweden have applied to NATO. I 
have talked to our friends in Turkey. I hope we can resolve that.
  So it would be wonderful in the next coming weeks here that the 
Senate, in fast fashion, could include two more members of NATO; that 
everything Putin wanted has backfired; that the Ukrainian nation still 
stands; that NATO is bigger not smaller; that war crimes investigations 
move forward, they don't stall.
  In the International Criminal Court, Mr. Khan is doing a good job of 
gathering evidence against Russian atrocities committed by Russian 
military leaders and Russian forces, all under the control of Putin, 
and I just encourage that effort to go further. Ukrainian courts have 
convicted a Russian soldier of murder, a war crime.
  So what I would like to see is the Western world, the democratic 
world, reinforce our commitment to Ukraine, not talk about having to 
give Putin territory to end this war, because that is not the way to 
end the war; that is a way to expand the war.
  If we can end this through diplomatic means, great, but what should 
be off the table is rewarding Putin for this invasion. What should be 
on the table is a commitment to Ukraine. As long as they are willing to 
fight, as long as they are willing to fight for their freedom and die 
for their territory, we should help them, because Putin won't stop with 
Ukraine if he is successful.
  The blood and treasure that we have spent since 9/11 has been tough 
for our country, but not one American soldier is on the ground in 
Ukraine. They are not asking for soldiers; they are only asking for the 
ability to defend themselves--economic assistance, military assistance.
  I do not want to let the pressure off Putin. Senator Risch and 
Senator Menendez--the chairman, Senator Menendez, of the Foreign 
Relations

[[Page S2727]]

Committee--are considering marking up legislation urging the Biden 
administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. So 
let's keep the pressure on Putin. Let's let the Russian people know 
that, as long as Putin is your leader, you will be isolated from the 
international community, your economy can't grow, and there are going 
to be more and more young Russians killed in this folly.
  I would urge the Russian people to change course here. Pick a new 
leader. The world will embrace Russia. Russia is a land of many 
talented people, with a long rich history.
  I am hoping and praying that the freedom-loving world will not make 
the mistakes in 2022 that we made in 1932, that we made in 1937 and 
1938 where we thought the way to end the war was to appease a brutal 
dictator. That is not the way to end a war; that is the way to continue 
wars and make them bigger.
  So, as for me, I will do everything in my power to help the Ukrainian 
people as a Member of the U.S. Senate. I will do everything in my power 
to hold Putin accountable. I will do everything in my power, working 
with my Democratic and Republican colleagues, to isolate Putin's 
Russia.
  This is a difficult time for the world. If he fails in Ukraine, if 
the Russian people rise up and change course, the world will be a lot 
better off. If he succeeds, God help us all because the worst is yet to 
come.
  No problem here at home gets better by turning our back on Ukraine 
and not holding Putin accountable. Whatever problems we have at the 
border, with inflation, gas prices, all the domestic violence here at 
home, none of those problems get better if Putin wins in Ukraine.
  Here is the good news for the American people: The Ukrainian people 
are not asking for our young men and women to fight and die in Ukraine; 
they are only asking for our help. They need arms. They need weapons. 
They need economic assistance. If we will continue to show our 
resolve--the Western world--Putin will lose and the people of Ukraine 
will win. Now is not the time to put on the table capitulation.
  So to everybody, I hope you have a safe Memorial Day. I look forward 
to coming back after the break to see if we can find a pathway forward 
on commonsense gun reforms. Between now and then, let's keep the people 
of Ukraine in our prayers.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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