WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement as the United States Senate prepares to consider President Joe Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 emergency supplemental funding request for key national security priorities.
“As Americans gathered with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving, Ukrainian troops were trying to save civilians from freezing to death after Russian forces targeted their country’s energy infrastructure with drone strikes. The attack was part of the Putin regime’s ongoing military campaign to move further into Europe and assert Russian control, an effort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people have courageously fought against with their lives. But they cannot secure victory alone.
“Throughout history, the American people have shown the world that our country will not stand idly by as allies like Ukraine fight on the front lines of democracy, freedom, and global security. Cutting off support to Ukraine now would fly in the face of our commitment to support our global partners, damage American leadership abroad, and would be a gift to authoritarians with broad and dangerous military ambitions like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. We must continue to work with our global partners in support of Ukraine and the fundamental values its people are fighting for.
“During a recent Senate Foreign Relations hearing on Ukraine, witnesses testified to the critical role the United States plays in helping Ukraine defeat Russian aggression, as well as the impact such support will have here at home, from creating jobs and promoting economic development nationwide to strengthening our own national security and protecting American interests abroad. Supporting Ukraine sends a clear message to the world that we do not abandon our friends. I am committed to working across the aisle to amplify that message and ensure the U.S. Congress continues to stand with our friends in Ukraine. Slava Ukraini.”
Earlier this month, Chairman Cardin convened a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “U.S. National Security Interests in Ukraine,” including testimony from the Department of State’s Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien, the Department of State’s Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt, and the United States Agency for International Development’s Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Erin McKee.
Click HERE to watch a video produced by the Committee highlighting key takeaways from our hearing, “U.S. National Security Interests in Ukraine.”
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