[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5470-5471]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                UKRAINE

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, yesterday afternoon a bipartisan majority 
in the House of Representatives passed Senate legislation to provide 
loan guarantees to Ukraine and to impose sanctions on certain Ukrainian 
and Russian officials.
  This legislation comes at a time when Ukraine's future hangs in the 
balance between democracy and dictatorship. The brave Ukrainians who 
protested across the country and at Maidan square have shown an 
inspiring determination to defend their freedom. Many of them endured 
the brutal attacks of riot police, snipers, and below freezing 
temperatures. Some died in the mayhem. President Putin, who has long 
demonstrated his disregard for international law and human rights in 
his own country, has now extended that sphere of repression to Ukraine 
by violating its sovereignty and strong-arming its citizens.
  This legislation exemplifies our support for a free and democratic 
Ukraine. The new government will face every imaginable economic, 
political, and security challenge, but the country's interim leaders 
have already indicated a willingness to implement austere reforms to 
put their country on the right track. It is important that during this 
time of uncertainty the people of Ukraine know that they have the full 
support of the United States and the international community.
  In addition to the loan guarantees which will be available 
immediately to help facilitate the development of a more resilient 
economy, the legislation

[[Page 5471]]

authorizes funds for democracy and security assistance in future years. 
It also imposes sanctions against various Ukrainian and Russian 
officials who have been identified as principles in the subversion of 
democracy in Ukraine and who have treated the public treasury as their 
own personal bank account. While efforts to recover stolen assets will 
not restore the entire amount that has disappeared, it will further 
expose President Yanukovych and other corrupt officials for the 
criminals that they are.
  I do want to say that I am very disappointed that domestic politics 
prevented inclusion of provisions, included in the version of the bill 
that was reported by the Foreign Relations Committee, authorizing U.S. 
support for reforms and participation in the quota increase at the 
International Monetary Fund. These reforms have been widely recognized 
as important for global economic stability, for maintaining U.S. 
leadership at the IMF, and for our efforts to maximize international 
assistance for Ukraine. Unfortunately, the House Republican leadership 
decided that partisan politics at home is more important than U.S. 
leadership in an international organization that we were instrumental 
in creating.
  Ukraine and Russia have a shared history, but it is clear that the 
people of Ukraine see their future with Europe. That is why it is 
imperative that we support them at this critical time, and that we send 
a strong message to President Putin that there are real consequences to 
the use of brute force to violate the territorial integrity of Russia's 
neighbors.
  As chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds our 
assistance for Ukraine, my subcommittee will not only provide the 
budget authority to pay the subsidy cost of the loan guarantees, we 
will also look for other ways in fiscal year 2015 to protect it and its 
neighbors from further Russian aggression.

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