[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2023]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                UKRAINE

  (Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the President to send 
defensive weapons to the beleaguered people of Ukraine. I just came 
back from a meeting in Europe with the President of Ukraine, Mr. 
Poroshenko, who pleaded with us that he needs help. The world cannot 
stand idly by and allow Putin Russian aggression to continue without 
giving the Ukrainians a chance to defend themselves.
  I know that there are meetings and negotiations going on this week in 
Minsk, and I know that the leaders of France and Germany want to see if 
they can again put together some kind of an agreement before any 
weapons are given, but there was a Minsk agreement several months ago 
only to be broken by Mr. Putin, and the Ukrainians need help now.
  As Mr. Poroshenko said when he addressed the joint session of 
Congress:
  Thank you for the blankets, but blankets don't allow us to defend 
ourselves.
  The Ukrainians are asking for antitank weapons, armored Humvees, 
longer-range counterartillery radars, drones, and additional advanced 
radios. We just would give them the ability to defend themselves.
  Mr. Speaker, it doesn't involve U.S. military. It doesn't involve 
U.S. troops. How much longer can we watch the beleaguered people of 
Ukraine in siege? The United States should take moves and should take 
moves now. Send Ukraine these defensive weapons.

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