    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2025)]
    [Senate]
    [Page S1423]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                     Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 103

      Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask
    unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S.
    Res. 103, which was submitted earlier today; further, that the
    resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to
    reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no
    intervening action or debate.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
      Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I object.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
      The Senator from Arizona.
      Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. President, 3 years ago, when Russia launched its
    invasion of Ukraine, many people, including experts, believed Putin
    would crush Ukraine's democracy in days. They were wrong.
      About 1 month before the war broke out, I traveled to Ukraine with a
    bipartisan coalition of House Representatives to meet with Ukrainian
    soldiers. Those soldiers we met there knew they were up against one of
    the strongest militaries in the world, but they refused to back down
    when it came to fighting for their families, their freedom, and their
    future. These soldiers are the reason why--against all odds--Ukraine
    still stands strong.
      Over 3 years, the scrappy little country of Ukraine has grinded down
    the second most powerful military in the world. Ukraine is holding the
    line for democracy, and they are doing it with our support. But
    Monday's vote at the U.N. undermined that and was a betrayal of
    Ukraine, America's allies, democracy, and everything we have stood for
    as a country.
      Let's be clear on this: This is a war that Russia started. Ukraine
    did not ask for it. They did not ask to go to war with a nuclear
    superpower, and they did not ask for their cities to be reduced to
    rubble. They didn't ask for their children to be displaced and families
    to be torn apart. If Ukraine had its way, this war would have ended
    years ago.
      What happened at the U.N. puts us on the same side as Russia and
    North Korea. That is not just embarrassing; it is dangerous. It sent a
    message to our allies and every other country that relies on the U.S.
    to stand up to bullies and defend freedom that America cannot be relied
    on to rightfully call out unprovoked aggression. It told them that they
    are on their own; that America's words mean nothing.
      If we can't stand up against these criminals, if we can't stand up
    against pariah states like Russia, how can we expect the world to take
    us seriously as leaders of democracy?
      This is why I am introducing this resolution. I urge my colleagues to
    correct the mistake we made at the U.N. this week. Stand with our
    allies, and condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. America does not
    stand with dictators, and we never will, and we shall never.
      With that, I ask for consent and vote on my resolution.
      Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, was there a unanimous consent request?
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. No, there wasn't.
      Mr. GALLEGO. I ask unanimous consent--
      Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, what was the consent request?
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Can the Senator repeat the request, please.
      Mr. GALLEGO. I withhold my request.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
      Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. President, ``I urge you to beware the temptation of .
    . . label[ing] both sides equally at fault--
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Time has expired, Senator.
      Mr. SCHIFF. May I have consent to speak for 2 minutes?
      Ms. ERNST. I object.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Objection is heard.
      Mr. PAUL. Two minutes? If it is going to take longer.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion to invoke
    cloture--
      Mr. PAUL. If we can be done in 2 minutes.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Senator Ernst, you objected.
      Ms. ERNST. Withdrawn.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Withdrawn.
      The Senator from California is recognized for two minutes.
      Mr. SCHIFF. I thank my colleagues for their courtesy to speak on this
    resolution.

           I urge you to beware the temptation of . . . label[ing]
         both sides equally at fault, [the temptation] to ignore the
         facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil
         empire.

      My colleagues, these are not my words; they are, of course, the words
    of Ronald Reagan almost 42 years ago to the day.
      Imagine if he could see his party now turning its back on our ally
    and fellow democracy, Ukraine; sponsoring a U.N. resolution that would
    whitewash the start of the war; engaging in the most immoral
    equivalence and failing to assign responsibility to Russia for its
    invasion and ruthless aggression; voting with Russia and North Korea
    against our longtime friends and allies in Europe and around the world;
    and abandoning and insulting our allies as Putin seeks to remake the
    map of Europe.
      What is this resolution in the United Nations about that we helped
    defeat? The United States has used its influence and its vetoes in the
    Security Council many times, but this resolution was offered by dozens
    of our close allies on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of
    Ukraine. What was in it that was so objectionable to split the United
    States from its friends?
      The resolution made clear that Russia started this war. It reaffirmed
    the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. It deplored Russian
    aggression on women and children. It raised concerns with North Korean
    troops fighting alongside Russian forces. It noted the threat to
    nuclear safety. It called for an end to the war and a just and lasting
    peace and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian lands.
      None of this is in dispute--none. This was the resolution that the
    United States, the leader of the free world, blocked at the United
    Nations. Can any Member of this body point to a single problematic word
    in that resolution? Of course not.
      The Senate should stand by that resolution, even as we must stand by
    Ukraine.
      Today, the White House and Kremlin seek to rewrite the history of
    this war with falsehood and slander, calling Zelenskyy the dictator,
    Ukraine the instigator, and Putin the hero. We need to do more than say
    something; we need to do something.
      ``Slava Ukraini.''
      The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). The majority whip.