[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S2149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Russia

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, anyone here remember how Donald Trump 
promised to end Russia's war on Ukraine in 1 day if he was elected? 
That is right: 1 day. Well, we are 73 days into his term, with Russia 
still raining death and destruction upon the people of Ukraine. Instead 
of ending the war, Donald Trump has alienated and bullied our allies 
around the world--our allies.
  He insulted and blackmailed Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who has 
led Ukrainians fighting bravely for more than 3 years, and 46,000 
Ukrainians have died in defense of their country. He has decimated low-
cost soft power by gutting USAID and Voice of America, giving away our 
influence and leadership to China and Russia--a move the head of 
Russian state TV called--get this quote--``an awesome decision by 
Trump! We couldn't shut them down, unfortunately, but America did so 
itself.''
  By turning our backs on the rest of the world, Donald Trump is 
undermining the promise of America as a beacon of democracy, freedom, 
and human rights. All the while, Russian President Putin is laughing at 
us, watching with glee as America destroys its own leadership and 
credibility--something he could only have dreamed of in his former KGB 
days.
  If you don't believe me, read New York Times columnist Tom Friedman. 
His recent column's title tells the story: ``I Don't Believe a Single 
Word Trump and Putin Say About Ukraine.''
  Washington Post columnist Max Boot wrote ``Putin is playing Trump and 
Witkoff like a Stradivarius,'' asking dismayingly what the rest of us 
are pondering as well: ``Does Trump seriously believe Putin is 
negotiating in good faith to end the war in Ukraine?''
  Or listen to the senior Republican Senator from Kentucky. Here is 
what he said:

       Unless we change course, the outcome we're heading for 
     today is one we can least afford: a headline that reads 
     ``Russia wins, America loses''. . . . An illusory peace that 
     shreds America's credibility, leaves Ukraine under threat, 
     weakens our alliances, and emboldens our enemies.

  I agree.
  Consider the last few months of negotiations between Trump and Putin 
that led almost nowhere and emboldened Russia. The supposed cease-fire 
was supposed to narrowly limit Russian attacks, and here we have them 
bombing hospitals.
  A supposed deal to stop fighting in the Black Sea was a giveaway to 
the Russians that undermined the Ukrainians.
  Or consider President Trump's special peace envoy Steve Witkoff, a 
real estate tycoon from New York who is in competition with Neville 
Chamberlain for the world's most naive appeaser. Witkoff recently told 
another Putin apologist, Tucker Carlson, that he liked Putin and didn't 
regard him as a bad guy.
  The same Witkoff groveled over Putin's obviously manipulative 
portrait gift to Trump, and he said those forced at gunpoint in 
occupied eastern Ukraine to vote in a sham referendum actually really 
wanted to be part of Russia. He is buying the Kremlin talking points 
and the long list in total.
  But as the President negotiates away Ukraine's freedom and America's 
credibility, Congress has an obligation and a constitutional 
responsibility to act. So I am glad this week that dozens of my 
colleagues from both sides of the aisle introduced legislation to make 
it clear to Russia that broad sanctions will be imposed if Russia does 
not negotiate in good faith and end this war soon. We owe Ukraine, and 
we certainly owe our own country nothing less.