[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19172-19177]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2015
                          UKRAINE UNDER SIEGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Abraham). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as Western Europe strains with more than 1 
million refugees fleeing war in the Middle East and enduring terrible 
conditions, I rise tonight to address another growing humanitarian 
crisis in Eastern Europe, in Ukraine.
  The free world has experienced time and again what happens when it 
fails to support innocents caught by fate under the brutal grip of war 
and oppression. Today that reality looms largely over Europe and surely 
over Ukraine, a nation of freedom-seeking people under siege 
outnumbered and outgunned due to Russia's invasion on Ukraine's eastern 
front. So Europe in the western end as well as the eastern faces major 
displacement and humanitarian needs not seen since World War II.
  Ukrainians are fighting to choose their own path, and surely America, 
with our moral leadership, can find a way to help the beleaguered 
people of Ukraine survive the siege and the onset of a bitter winter, 
with climates that can be unforgiving, with temperatures falling as low 
or more than 25 degrees below zero.
  To not attend to Ukraine now risks Ukraine accessing to the free 
world. If one looks at the size of Ukraine in Europe, imagine if 
Ukraine could access to be part of greater Europe. That is all held in 
abeyance now and also risks millions more potential refugees fleeing 
from Ukraine to Western Europe for sustenance and more.
  I call on the Obama administration to address the growing 
humanitarian crisis in Europe, not just on the western end, but on the 
eastern end in Ukraine. This is a challenge that can be met. America 
has done this before. The humanitarian need in Ukraine is immediate and 
growing.
  I include in the Record evidence of this growing crisis by the major 
religious leaders of Ukraine from all confessions, representing, 
imagine, nearly 90 percent of the faithful of Ukraine. These 
denominations include Baptist, Pentecostals, Muslims, Reformed Church, 
the Lutheran Church, Jewish religious organizations, Evangelicals, the 
Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Bible Society, 
the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the 
Seventh-Day Adventists, the Christian Evangelical Church. It is a very, 
very long list.
  I am going to read this in the Record as well as place it in the 
Record. This was sent to President Obama. A delegation, over this last 
month, from Ukraine, of its top religious leaders presented the Obama 
administration with a request. Let me read it.
  ``We, the undersigned of the All Ukrainian Council of Churches and 
religious organizations and representing Ukraine's diverse religious 
community, appeal to you on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help 
address the humanitarian catastrophe, Mr. President, gripping our 
country. The needs are enormous, ranging from medical supplies to 
everyday items, such as food, water, and clothing.''
  They don't even ask for new clothing. They are willing to take used 
shoes from the United States of America.
  ``While the global news media regularly reports on Russia's war 
against Ukraine, government reforms and financial challenges, there is 
rarely any mention of the extraordinary dimensions of the human 
suffering caused by Moscow's aggression. While Ukraine certainly needs 
greater military, financial, and political assistance, our focus here, 
as religious leaders, must be on the humanitarian aspect.
  ``As you know, according to the United Nations, over 5 million 
people''--5 million--``including 1.7 million

[[Page 19173]]

children, are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.''
  I brought a chart to the floor that shows pictures of just a few of 
these children.
  ``8,000 people have died and over 17,000 have been injured and 
wounded. There are over 1,390,000 displaced people, including 174,000 
children.''
  Here is one child whose only dwelling has been in a bomb shelter 
since the time of his birth.
  ``The challenges of this human tragedy are overwhelming. Even the 
most conservative estimates show that over 65 percent of projected 
needs have yet to be met--even on the level of pledges.
  ``As representatives of the interfaith community, we witness on a 
daily basis the challenges and needs of people suffering because of 
this war. And with the onset of winter, an already dire situation will 
only get worse. We pray for their lives and for the future of our 
country.
  ``While we are grateful for the assistance provided by the United 
States Government to date, we know that the need is so much greater. 
Thus, we appeal to you,'' President Obama, ``to increase assistance and 
to activate the full potential of the National Guard State Partnership 
Program and the Partnership for Peace as instruments for alleviating 
the humanitarian catastrophe. One of the stated goals of the 
Partnership for Peace is to `provide a framework for enhanced political 
and military cooperation for joint multilateral crisis management 
activities, such as humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping.' Ukraine 
was the first post-Soviet country to join the Partnership for Peace in 
1993.
  ``In addition to the assistance provided by the US government, we, 
during our travels throughout the United States, have come to 
personally witness the great generosity of the American people 
expressed through numerous spontaneous initiatives to ship medical and 
humanitarian supplies to Ukraine.
  ``Time is of the essence, Mr. President.''
  They are begging.
  ``The people of Ukraine need to know that they are not forgotten in 
their time for need. The instruments anticipated by the National Guard 
State Partnership and Partnership for Peace programs will allow the 
American people to more effectively and rapidly access and deliver 
already available medical and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine--
literally within days. We each represent distribution networks''--
through their various religious confessions--``that cooperate with each 
other; we now ask for the resources to meet the growing human needs.
  ``We pray that God grant you guidance, wisdom and bless you and the 
great American nation. God bless the United States and Ukraine. 
Sincerely.''
  And I place all their names in the Record.
  The people of the world must meet this moral imperative. The United 
Nations has reported that 2.6 million Ukrainians have been displaced by 
the current conflict in eastern Ukraine--so unnecessary--because of 
Russia's invasion. A staggering 5 million Ukrainians currently need 
humanitarian survival assistance.
  I met with one religious leader who came to Washington. I said: What 
are you finding?
  He said: Congresswoman, we are in Kharkiv. We need shoes, even used 
shoes, for the children.
  Currently, less than half of those in need receive any assistance at 
all. If Russian aggression were to trigger a flight of these Ukrainians 
westward, it would also add to the dangerous, destabilizing stress to 
Europe's already-stretched refugee services as a result of what is 
happening with the immigration and refugee resettlement from the Middle 
East.
  The situation in Ukraine is far from contained. According to a recent 
report by Refugees International, approximately 2 million Ukrainians 
live close to the cease-fire lines separating Ukrainian and Russian-
backed forces.
  It is hard to see some of these pictures that are on this chart, but 
what they basically show are bombed-out buildings, bridges that are 
completely destroyed, old women living in buildings where there are no 
roofs or windows in eastern Ukraine, children living in bomb shelters, 
and people just, unfortunately, killed because of Russian shelling.
  A Ukrainian and Russian peace settlement likely will take a while, 
but another 2 million people are living under control of Russian-backed 
forces. The basic needs of these civilians go unmet daily. Shockingly, 
most international aid work has been suspended there, and there are 
hardly any news stories about this. Aid workers have been ejected from 
regions that are called Luhansk and Donetsk by the Russian-backed 
fighters.
  Some refugees, torn from their villages and towns, have managed to 
stay in Ukraine and survive even after being driven from their homes by 
violence. How they are doing this, I simply don't know. But these 
internally displaced are overwhelming the already limited resources of 
Ukraine's local governments, which are already stretched thin by 
Russia's invasion. These 1.5 million internally displaced Ukrainians 
lack durable housing or jobs to pay for food or support their families.
  Don't forget, with Russia's invasion, the value of their currency has 
just plummeted. Everything is so much more expensive. How people are 
making it, I simply don't know.
  We often talk about refugees in abstract numbers. But inside these 
numbers are the stories and faces of individuals. I just wish people 
could see the eyes of these parents looking into the future that is so 
uncertain and so daunting.
  Ukrainian children in these conflict zones are being born under 
conditions that most Americans couldn't even imagine, never having 
lived without the imminent threat of death or loss. Many risk becoming 
stateless, as they have been unable to receive birth certificates, 
passports, and school certificates. In looking into the eyes of 
children, I am again reminded of the urgency of this crisis.
  As freedom-loving nations grapple with the Ukrainian crisis, let us 
recall the nations of the European continent remain America's most 
enduring allies in liberty. To not measure up to meet the current 
internal challenge for Europe is to walk away from liberty's call at 
freedom's edge in our time.
  Existing efforts to assist Ukraine's eastern regions face a daunting 
set of challenges. Roads leading to Ukrainians trapped in separatist-
held areas are difficult to navigate. There is a photo here. I mean, 
they are walking across rubble, down very steep embankments.
  Making matters worse, many of these routes are now scarred by the 
ravages of war. Roads and bridges have been completely destroyed. On 
roads running through conflict areas, Russian-backed fighters require 
registration by any humanitarian group seeking access to the region. 
Can you imagine? Can you imagine what life is like there?
  The United Nations is the only aid group allowed to even enter the 
Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. Even the U.N. was prevented from 
delivering aid to eastern Ukraine for 3 months as people suffered. And 
then on November 9, just a couple weeks ago, the U.N. was finally able 
to deliver a convoy of nine trucks carrying vital aid to the city of 
Luhansk, including 10,000 blankets, 10,000 towels, 5,000 buckets, and a 
similar number of jerricans and plastic sheets, cement and timber for 
shelter repairs, and other winterization need and domestic items. That 
was to one town, and it did not completely serve their enormous needs.
  As the U.N. agency head for Ukraine said: ``This is a small drop in 
the ocean of needs . . . in these conflict-affected areas.''
  Can you imagine, millions of people displaced but only 10,000 
blankets? Millions of people, 10,000 blankets.
  Delivery of basic medical supplies also faces obstacles. There is a 
shortage of medications that treat critical and common diseases.
  After his organization was forced out of Donetsk by Russian 
operatives, Dr. Bart Janssens, director of operations at Doctors 
Without Borders, said the

[[Page 19174]]

following: ``We are almost the only organization providing treatment 
for tuberculosis in prisons, insulin for diabetic patients, and 
hemodialysis products to treat kidney failure. Thousands of patients 
suffering from chronic, potentially fatal diseases will now be left 
with little or no assistance.''

                              {time}  2030

  This is the situation Ukraine faces in real time. What will the world 
do? What will the United States do with so many storehouses of used 
clothing, used blankets, or anything to help sustain life there?
  As temperatures fall across that region, shelter assistance has to be 
delivered quickly to people living in buildings without windows, 
without doors, without roofs, and, most often, without heat. Thousands 
of displaced people need warm blankets, winter clothing, and shoes, as 
well as coal and heating fuels.
  If the free world fails to act, it must prepare for the reality that, 
come spring, we will discover more elderly who are dead, more who are 
ill, more children who have fallen into illness and have probably died, 
simply cut off from assistance, who succumbed to starvation and the 
cold, needlessly adding to the over 8,000 who have already lost their 
lives in this Russian-directed invasion.
  America, as a nation, has long been one of supporting freedom and 
economic stability across our world. Let me remind you that in a 1947 
speech laying out what would become the Marshall Plan for Europe 
following World War II's devastation, war-weary America stood the test 
of liberty.
  And one of our greatest Americans, a statesman, a general, and then 
Secretary of State, General George C. Marshall, observed the dire post-
war economic conditions in Europe. And despite America's exhaustion 
from World War II, he urged American involvement and support of 
European recovery, noting that:
  ``It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able 
to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, 
without which there can be no political stability and no assured 
peace.''
  Those words apply to Ukraine today, as they did to Western Europe 
after World War II.
  General Marshall continued, saying, ``Our policy is directed not 
against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, 
desperation, and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working 
economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and 
social conditions in which free institutions can exist.''
  He added that struggling nations must take the lead in their own 
rebuilding and that America's role should be a supporting one.
  It was really remarkable to go back and look at the films of the 
brilliant airlift from World War II and see what this country did. This 
crisis is not commensurate with what happens after World War II, but we 
have a model. We know what to do; we know how to do it. Why aren't we 
doing it?
  I include in the Record separate statements from three religious 
leaders who are begging the United States of America and its President 
to pay particular attention to the humanitarian needs of Ukraine: 
remarks by Patriarch Filaret, Ukraine Orthodox Church; the Archbishop 
of Ukraine, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; 
and also Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, head of the Jewish faiths that have 
presence in that country.

  Transcript of the Speech by Patriarch Filaret at the National Press 
                        Club on November 9, 2015

                    (Translated live from Ukrainian)

       Dear Friends, we just met with the staff of President 
     Obama. We have handed him a letter signed by leaders of All-
     Ukrainian Council of Churches and International Organizations 
     of Ukraine leaders of different religious denominations of 
     Ukraine. First of all, I want to emphasize that the All-
     Ukrainian Council of Churches represents 85% of Ukraine's 
     residence. So our statement is on behalf of all those people.
       What is that letter about? We are discussing how the 
     humanitarian aid that has been collected for the Ukrainian 
     people here in the United States can be delivered to Ukraine. 
     And we are asking President Obama to implement certain 
     provisions of the Partnership for Peace program.
       Why are we asking that? Because, today, Ukraine is 
     defending democracy and freedom for the whole world. If 
     Ukraine had accepted Russia's offer and desired to pull it 
     into the Eurasian Union, there would be no war, but Ukraine 
     would have lost its democracy and freedom--it would have 
     become a totalitarian state.
       The United States is the leader of democracy and freedom in 
     the world. And, today, Ukrainians are giving their lives for 
     this democracy and freedom. So do Ukrainians deserve such 
     support from the United States and Europe in standing against 
     Russian invasion and totalitarianism? I think Ukraine does 
     deserve that.
       This is why we are making this request for help. We are 
     asking to help deliver the humanitarian aid that the people 
     of the United States have already collected. And we are also 
     asking to increase the levels of assistance of multi-sided 
     assistance.
       At this time, the war in Eastern Ukraine has not stopped--
     it only went down in intensity. Putin has diverted the 
     world's attention by going into Syria--this does not mean 
     that he has given up on Ukraine and military warfare may 
     erupt in Ukraine with new strength anytime. So we are 
     asking--please, help. We are giving away our live and you 
     give us the resources, including the humanitarian assistance.
       Thank you.
                                  ____


Transcript of the Speech by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk at the 
                National Press Club on November 9th 2015

       Dear Friends, I speak on behalf of Ukrainian Greek Catholic 
     Church, which is present in Ukraine and worldwide. I would 
     like to convey to you good news from Ukraine.
       First good news is that Ukrainian nation is united as never 
     before in its history. You see that righteous society of 
     Ukraine, The Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, 
     which represent 85% of the citizens of Ukraine, are united. 
     Different religions, different churches, religious 
     denominations, but we are the heart of Ukrainian civil 
     society, and we are together.
       The second good news is that we did not have a civil war in 
     Ukraine. We are facing the foreign aggression against 
     Ukraine. And again, that aggression is a catalyst of 
     Ukrainian unity. Seventy percent of the soldiers who are 
     defending free and independent Ukraine are Russian-speakers. 
     And I think this very important sign, that even those who are 
     in the occupied territories, as Rabbi Bleich mentioned, are 
     not supporting war. Even people in Russia will not support a 
     war. It is why Putin is trying to be silent about that the 
     Russian troop and its presence on Ukrainian territory.
       The third good news from Ukraine is outstanding solidarity. 
     Today, we have more than two million refugees in Ukraine. But 
     international society, until now, could only help four 
     hundred thousand refugees. But what is happening to the rest? 
     Their Ukrainian fellows are helping them. But our resources 
     are short because economic crisis is striking us in Ukraine. 
     Nevertheless, we are united in our desire to rebuild, to 
     transform Ukraine.
       The next good news from Ukraine, we all together are 
     fighting against corruption, because corruption it not only 
     political issue, is a deep moral issue. It is a part of the 
     post-Soviet mentality. But we all together are trying to 
     reform and transform the very heart of Ukraine. To transform 
     the interpersonal relationships, because corruptions strike 
     those kinds of relationships between person in Ukraine. But, 
     nevertheless, we are here to be a voice of the millions who 
     are suffering the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe after 
     the Second World War.
       It is a pity that Ukrainian politicians until now did not 
     declare the state of the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine. 
     Until now we've received an answer that this is a political 
     quest. Nevertheless, Ukraine needs worldwide international 
     support, especially in order to solve the humanitarian 
     situation in our country. So it is why we are here--to speak 
     on behalf of those millions who will suffer terrible winter 
     in few months.
       But we have a hope in Ukraine. You know, politicians will 
     come and go, presidents will come and go, all political 
     visions will change, but Ukraine will remain, churches will 
     remain. And today we are building our future fostering the 
     reconciliation and cooperation between the nations.
       Thank you very much.
                                  ____


  Transcript of the Speech by Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich at the National 
                    Press Club on November 9th 2015

       Thanks for coming and for showing some interest in what's 
     going on in Ukraine. It is important for us in Ukraine to 
     know that it's not only politicians that get together and 
     talk about Ukraine, but that it interests civil society too.
       First of all, the message comes from a coalition called the 
     Council of Churches and Religious Organizations of Ukraine, 
     which is a very unique organization anywhere in the world 
     probably, where the Heads of all religions in the country get 
     together and work for the benefit of all of the people of the 
     country.

[[Page 19175]]

       Our message is from civil society, from people to people. 
     We spoke today with politicians because they can do things we 
     can't do. But we can do a lot more than they can. We feel 
     that civil society has an obligation to try help and do what 
     they can. We come together with other NGOs in the United 
     States trying to make things happen, change things. And I 
     want to point something out: the help that we may get paying 
     for transportation of containers of aid that was collected 
     here to send to Ukraine is very very symbolic. The money is 
     not the most important thing.
       What is much more symbolic is that the people in the United 
     States care about what's happening in Ukraine, they 
     understand the war.
       The need for help in Ukraine is a direct result of a 
     democratic choice, a choice that the people of Ukraine made. 
     They want to be a part of the western family of nations. They 
     want democracy, they want to be free, they want to be a part 
     of Europe, they want to live like people in the West live. 
     Because of that they are suffering, and it's important for 
     people in the United States to know that the front of the war 
     between democracy, democratic life and brutality, communism, 
     putinism, that front is taking place now in Eastern Ukraine. 
     That fight, which is a fight of entire world for democracy, 
     is taking place right there. It's not only a fight for 
     Ukraine, not only a fight for Ukraine's freedom, it's a fight 
     of freedom over putinism. This is our message.
       You could see people who are willing to sacrifice 
     themselves for their freedom. People who are sacrificing 
     their lives on the front are not sacrificing for their 
     freedom, they are sacrificing for the freedom of their 
     country, for freedom of their people, for freedom of all 
     peoples throughout the world to have that democratic choice, 
     to choose how they want to live, and to be able to live the 
     way we take for granted here, in the United States.
       Today, actually, President Poroshenko signed a decree for 
     organizing a committee for the 75th anniversary of Babij Yar. 
     This is important! We don't have to talk about this now, but 
     a year and a half ago we were still trying to counteract the 
     propaganda that was coming out of Russia about the fascism in 
     Ukraine and the anti-Semitism, which is a bunch of baloney. 
     Basically, we won that war.
       People, most people, understand that Ukrainian Government 
     and Ukrainian people today are not fascists and anti-Semites, 
     they are just people who want to live free, democratically, 
     but part of that is that Ukrainian Government also coming 
     through and showing time and again, proving as much as 
     possible, as many times as possible that Ukrainian people are 
     united no matter what ethnicity, no matter what their 
     background, what their religion is. They want to be free, 
     they want to be democratic. Even the Russian-speaking people 
     want to be free. That was part of the failure of Putin in the 
     east that he didn't have the support. He doesn't have the 
     support of the people in Donbas to become a part of Russia. 
     They are not interested in becoming a part of Russia. They 
     want to be free as well. Everyone wants to be free.
       Thank you.

  Ms. KAPTUR. The United States has more than just a moral and 
strategic duty to the sovereign people of Ukraine. Twenty years ago, 
the United States, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the United 
Kingdom came together to sign the Budapest Memorandum.
  This agreement reaffirmed the common commitment of those signatory 
nations ``to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing 
borders of Ukraine.'' And in return for that promise of protecting 
those borders, Ukraine dismantled its vast nuclear weapons complex, the 
third largest in the world.
  With that memorandum in hand, Ukraine did what it promised, but what 
about the other signatories to that agreement?
  Today, the Budapest Memorandum appears to be a hollow promise. It 
comes as little surprise that Russia would break that promise, but it 
disappoints me to no end that the free world, led by the United States 
of America, seems reluctant to honor its promises to take a more 
effective role as a coalition of nations and civil society 
organizations to help Ukraine stand on its own in the face of internal 
carnage perpetrated by Russia.
  NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, 
a man who knows an enormous amount about that continent, recently 
expressed his deep concern that our focus has been pulled away from 
Russia's proxy invasion of Ukraine. ``Folks have taken their eye off of 
Ukraine a little bit because of Syria,'' he said.
  According to him, the situation is similar to how the world lost 
focus on the Russian invasion of Crimea, which the United States still 
considers Ukrainian territory, after Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and 
triggered the current war.
  Fighting in the Donbass region of Ukraine has fluctuated, but 
skirmishes continue and Ukrainian territory remains under Russian 
occupation, with no withdrawal in sight.
  Congress took initial steps to address Ukraine's need last year, just 
about a year ago, with the Ukraine Freedom Support Act--legislation we 
fought hard to pass and which most of our colleagues voted to support. 
However, conditions continue to worsen.
  A report done by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of 
Europe acknowledges that the fighting in the east, which began in the 
spring of 2014, has resulted in extensive damage to schools and medical 
facilities, leaving the local population increasingly dependent on 
outside aid. Assistance is needed to meet basic needs and access to 
clean water, which is a problem already for 1.3 million Ukrainians at a 
minimum.
  Two weeks ago, I sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of State 
Victoria Nuland to call for the United States to work with the 
Ukrainian Government and Russia to restore access to humanitarian 
workers and to allow aid to proceed.
  In particular, I identified a need for access to--and this is in 
working with the religious leaders of Ukraine across confessions for 
these items--winterization activities, including blankets, quilts, 
kerosene, heating stoves; direct financial assistance to these 
religious groups to help them help others; water pumping station 
equipment to prevent freezing; electrical repair kits and tools; coal; 
batteries; clothing; and everyday necessities, including medical 
equipment, basic and specialized medicines, emergency medical kits, 
shoes, socks, long underwear, coats, mittens, hats; redevelopment 
assistance, including economic aid and tools as well as equipment to 
repair homes, bridges, and roads.
  They don't even request new material. They just request help. I just 
think to myself, how much is thrown away in landfills across this 
country, items that still have good wear and good possibility? How much 
is thrown away at construction sites? And what we can do to help the 
people of Ukraine? These items are more than just objects to the people 
of Ukraine. They are life itself right now.
  The people of Ukraine want desperately to stand on their own, access 
to the European continent, and to govern themselves in the light of 
liberty. I have seen it in their eyes. Let us help them weather this 
terrible storm now when they need it most.
  My heavens, if the United States of America could lead the Berlin 
airlift after World War II in those old, tired planes, sending goods to 
the people of Europe, to the people of Western Europe, and to give them 
hope and sustenance, you mean to tell me that the America of the 21st 
century can't figure this out, especially when Congress has put money 
in the budget of the Department of Defense and the Department of State 
to carry this out, working in cooperation with organizations across 
this great land?
  Last month, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious 
Organizations, a globally unique coming-together of diverse religious 
faiths which represent 85 percent of the Ukrainian population, 
presented President Obama with a letter I referenced earlier, appealing 
on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help address the humanitarian 
catastrophe gripping that Nation.
  Each is a daily witness to the challenges and needs of the people 
suffering because of this unnecessary, brutal war, where over 8,000 
have already been killed; 17,610 wounded--that was a figure as of 
October--2.6 million people internally displaced; 5 million in need of 
aid, including 1.7 million children, and one in five homes of displaced 
families damaged or destroyed. Surely, the free world can figure this 
out.
  I do have to say a word about this. A few weeks ago, I stood here in 
Washington with many distinguished Ukrainian leaders, including the 
First

[[Page 19176]]

Lady of Ukraine, Maryna Poroshenko; His Holiness, the Patriarch of Kyiv 
and All Rus'-Ukraine Filaret; and my dear friend and fellow Ukraine 
Caucus cochair, Congressman Sander Levin of Michigan, to dedicate a 
memorial here in our Nation's capital to the 1932-1933 Soviet Union's 
forced starvation of between 2.5 million and 7.5 million Ukrainians 
whose names are lost to history forever.
  I think America should also consider doing this humanitarian lift to 
Ukraine because, frankly, no place on Earth suffered more in the last 
century from brutal tyranny than did Ukraine. Perhaps something is owed 
to those sacrificial people for what they endured and for the spark of 
liberty that still breathes so strongly in their hearts and minds.
  In marking the brutal tragedy of the forced famine, called the 
Holodomor, I am reminded of the importance of teaching about the cost 
of liberty, the need to fight for it, and the legacy of that 
sacrificial people.
  Through this memorial, we seek to better guard against any oppressive 
regime that would seek to rule over any people, for, at that time, our 
Nation failed to reveal and respond to that ongoing brutality of forced 
starvation in Ukraine. Had the free world acted then, we might have 
changed the fate of millions, but that did not happen.
  Let us not repeat the blindness of the past. America must act with 
dispatch to support the freedom-loving people of Ukraine. Time and 
again, in moments when the world has found itself at a crossroads, 
American leadership and action has made the difference.
  We must be prepared to join with others in this effort to save the 
children, to save the families, to save the people of Ukraine, and, in 
doing so, to let liberty march forward. We must do the right thing for 
our brothers and sisters in liberty. America must act, and we must act 
as leaders. Ukraine is waiting. The world is waiting.
  I call upon the President of the United States and the Obama 
administration to do what is necessary and achievable to meet the 
growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, to relieve the unnecessary 
suffering of their people, and to prevent a gigantic refugee crisis 
from spilling over and impacting European stability.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), who 
could not be here tonight for this Special Order, supports these 
efforts. His formal statement includes the important role that the 
people of southeastern Pennsylvania have played in keeping a focus on 
Ukraine and this ongoing tragedy and what the United States of America 
can do at very little cost to the people here by the mobilization of 
the hearts of the American people to provide humanitarian assistance to 
help save Ukraine in our own time and day.

     President Barack Obama,
     The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Mr. President: We, the undersigned of the All 
     Ukrainian Council of Churches and religious organizations, 
     and representing Ukraine's diverse religious community appeal 
     to you on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help address the 
     humanitarian catastrophe gripping our country. The needs are 
     enormous, ranging from medical supplies to everyday items 
     such as food, water, and clothing.
       While the global news media regularly reports on Russia's 
     war against Ukraine, government reforms and financial 
     challenges, there is rarely any mention of the extraordinary 
     dimensions of the human suffering caused by Moscow's 
     aggression. While Ukraine certainly needs greater military, 
     financial and political assistance, our focus here must be on 
     the humanitarian aspect.
       As you know, according to the UN, over 5 million people, 
     including 1.7 million children are in desperate need of 
     humanitarian assistance. 8,000 people have died and over 
     17,000 have been injured and wounded. There are over 
     1,390,000 displaced people, including 174,000 children. The 
     challenges of this human tragedy are overwhelming. Even the 
     most conservative estimates show that over 65% of projected 
     needs have yet to be met--even on the level of pledges.
       As representatives of the interfaith community, we witness 
     on a daily basis the challenges and the needs of people 
     suffering because of this war. And with the onset of winter, 
     an already dire situation will only get worse. We pray for 
     their lives and for the future of our country.
       While we are grateful for the assistance provided by the 
     United States government to date, we know that the need is so 
     much greater. Thus, we appeal to you to increase assistance 
     and to activate the full potential of the National Guard 
     State Partnership Program and the Partnership for Peace (PfP) 
     as instruments for alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe. 
     One of the stated goals of the PfP is to ``provide a 
     framework for enhanced political and military cooperation for 
     joint multilateral crisis management activities, such as 
     humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping.'' Ukraine was the 
     first post-Soviet country to join the PfP in 1993.
       In addition to the assistance provided by the US 
     government, we, during our travels throughout the United 
     States, have come to personally witness the great generosity 
     of the American people expressed through numerous spontaneous 
     initiatives to ship medical and humanitarian supplies to 
     Ukraine.
       Time is of the essence, Mr. President. The people of 
     Ukraine need to know that they are not forgotten in their 
     time for need! The instruments anticipated by the National 
     Guard State Partnership and Partnership for Peace programs 
     will allow the American people to more effectively and 
     rapidly access and deliver already available medical and 
     humanitarian supplies to Ukraine--literally within days. We 
     each represent distribution networks that cooperate with each 
     other; we now ask for the resources to meet the growing human 
     needs.
       We pray that God grant you guidance, wisdom and bless you 
     and the great American nation. God bless the United States 
     and Ukraine!
           Sincerely,
         Antoniuk Valery Stepanovich--Chairman of the Union, 
           Senior Bishop, All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of 
           Evangelical Christians--Baptists; Panochko Michael 
           Stepanovich--President of the Union, Senior Bishop, 
           All-Ukrainian Union of Christians of the Evangelical 
           Faith--Pentecostals; Ablaev Emirali--Chairman of the 
           Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, Mufti 
           Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea; Ahmad 
           Tamim--Head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims 
           of Ukraine, Mufti of Zan-Fabian Alexander--Head of the 
           Consistory of the SCRC, Bishop, Transcarpathian 
           Reformed Church; Sergey Mashevskyy--Bishop, German 
           Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine; Yaakov Dov 
           Bleich--President of the Association, Chief Rabbi of 
           Kyiv and Ukraine, Association of Jewish Religious 
           Organizations of Ukraine; Peter Malchuk--Head of the 
           Commission on the Relationship Between State and 
           Church; Raichynets Vasiliy Fedorovich--Senior Pastor, 
           Union of Free Churches of Christians of Evangelical 
           Faith of Ukraine; Macarius (Maletich)--Primate of the 
           Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Metropolitan 
           The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church; Commandant 
           Grigory Ivanovich--President, Ukrainian Bible Society; 
           Sviatoslav (Shevchuk)--Archbishop, The Ukrainian Greek 
           Catholic Church; Marcos (Oganesyan)--Bishop, Ukrainian 
           Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Vyacheslav 
           Horpynchuk--Bishop, Ukrainian Lutheran Church; Onufry 
           (Berezovsky)--Metropolitan Ukrainian Orthodox Church; 
           Filaret (Denisenko)--Patriarch Filaret, Patriarch of 
           Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine, Ukrainian Orthodox Church 
           Kiev Patriarchate; Nosov Stanislav Viktorovich--
           President, The Ukrainian Union Conference of Seventh-
           Day Adventists; Padun Leonid Nikolaevich--Senior 
           Bishop, Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, all Members will have 5 
legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous material into the Record on the topic of this Special 
Order.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the 
gentlewoman from Ohio, Ms. Kaptur, for organizing this Special Order 
this evening and bringing this important alliance with Ukraine to the 
forefront.
  The Ukrainian heritage, and its people, play a critical role in the 
cultural fabric of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
  Just this morning, I had the privilege to meet with Ukrainian 
Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly and reaffirm our support 
for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and freedom of Ukraine.
  Mr. Speaker, our relationship with Ukraine is vital to our national 
security interest and we must continue to foster strong bilateral 
relations as Ukraine continues to face threats to its status as a 
sovereign nation.
  So long as Russia continues to pose a destabilizing force at 
Ukraine's borders and supports rebel groups in Eastern Ukraine, 
Congress and the Administration must remain steadfast in our support 
for the Ukrainian people and their freedom.

[[Page 19177]]

  The Administration must follow through on the commitment set forth in 
the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 to provide Ukraine with much-
needed military aid, both lethal and non-lethal.
  Reportedly, not even half the aid authorized last December has been 
delivered. Further, a recent article in the Washington Post noted that 
the quality of the U.S. supplied gear, including Humvees, is ``little 
more than junk''--there is barely any protection on the windows and 
doors--while the non-lethal military aid provided to protect Ukraine 
military forces is obsolete.
  Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable and our allies deserve better.
  In an effort to keep our nation safe and to provide assistance to our 
allies, the National Defense Authorization Act was recently signed into 
law. This includes an authorization for $300 million in military aid, 
including lethal, to support Ukraine.
  And currently stalled in the House is bill H.R. 955, that would 
authorize the Secretary of Defense to provide assistance (including 
training, equipment, lethal weapons of a defensive nature, logistics 
support, supplies and services) to the military and national security 
forces of Ukraine through the end of the next fiscal year.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to act on this legislation in an 
expeditious manner and bring it to the Floor for a vote.
  We cannot let our Ukrainian allies on the frontlines defend their 
freedom and sovereignty without meaningful support. The Administration 
must follow through on our word.
  Again, I thank Congresswoman Kaptur for organizing tonight's special 
order and her unwavering dedication to Ukraine and the Ukrainian-
American community.

                          ____________________