WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement following this weekend’s first round of presidential elections in Ukraine:
“I congratulate the people of Ukraine for a successful election process on Sunday. International election observers affirmed that voters were able to freely exercise their right to choose from a broad choice of candidates the polls, who were also able to campaign freely. As the country prepares for a runoff, I urge the two candidates to engage in a substantial dialogue with the Ukrainian people over the next few weeks so that voters can make the most informed choice for president. Among other pressing issues, they deserve to hear about the candidates’ views on the war with Russia and how they plan to seriously combat corruption.
“Ukrainian civil society organizations like Civil Network ‘OPORA’ played a crucial role in monitoring the electoral process and I encourage them to continue their great work in the lead up to the second round. Ukraine once again demonstrated a sharp contrast with its neighbor Russia where such an election would be unimaginable under Putin.
“The ultimate guarantor of Ukraine’s vote and democracy is the Ukrainian people who have a proven willingness and strong desire to defend their independence and safeguard their institutions against external threats from the Kremlin and the internal threat of corruption. I applaud their courage and remain strongly committed to U.S. policies and programs that strengthen Ukraine’s democratic process.”
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