[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 38 (Tuesday, February 28, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S509-S510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now, on the recap of our codel: While 
meeting last week with leaders in Europe, India, Pakistan, and Israel--
the nine of us on our codel--two takeaways became clear. First, the 
United States should deepen our relationship with India if we want to 
outcompete the Chinese Communist Party in this century. Second, 
democracies must unite in increasing aid to Ukraine.
  I was glad Prime Minister Modi got the message during our meeting 
with him in India. My colleagues and I made clear the two largest 
democracies in the world--the world's oldest democracy and the world's 
largest--could be a powerful check against the CCP.
  That doesn't mean just cooperating with India on defense and 
security, though that is essential. It means we must take an all-out, 
all-of-the-above approach, because that is precisely what the CCP is 
doing.
  The CCP wants to outcompete America not just on defense but also 
economically, geopolitically, technologically, in terms of our 
fundamental values and more. Just as our transatlantic partnership 
matters immensely, so too will our partnership with India.
  The United States and India must, therefore, keep working together to 
strengthen our economic ties, expand our trade, and make it easier to 
recruit talented workers from abroad to work in our country.
  While meeting with foreign leaders, we also made clear the importance 
of standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine. We made it 
clear to the leaders of Europe, India, Pakistan, and Israel that they 
must increase their aid to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion 
is now a year old; and as difficult as the road has been, we made it 
clear that the worst thing we can do is waver in our support. The 
Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are fighting valiantly, 
but they need more materiel. And it is our job to give it to them. A 
Russian victory will not quench Putin's hunger for expansion. On the 
contrary, it would escalate his desire for more territory.
  So the right answer is for the transatlantic partnership--and all the 
free nations of the world--to continue supporting the Ukrainian people.

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