WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Peter Welch (D-VT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), took to the Senate floor to highlight their continued support for Ukraine in its battle against Russian aggression. The Senators spoke about the importance of maintaining strong U.S. support for Ukraine, including the need for strong security guarantees and continued aid to the brave Ukrainians on the frontlines. They emphasized the need to stand up against Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, and ensure Ukraine has every tool needed to succeed at the negotiating table.
You can watch Ranking Member Shaheen’s remarks here.
You can watch the entire floor bloc here.
Key Quotes:
The Ranking Member’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
Mr. President, I’m pleased to be able to come to the floor today to support Ukraine, and I am especially pleased that we have colleagues from both sides of the aisle who are here to support the Ukrainians in this unjust war against Russia.
Now, I understand and appreciate the desire for peace in Ukraine, and I understand why we should end the senseless killing of innocent people. And I think if you ask Ukrainians, they want this war to end too. They’re watching how this war is destroying their country. But the best way to make a deal here is to give Ukraine as much leverage as possible.
I am pleased to hear today that there is the potential for a ceasefire, that, as part of that, U.S. intelligence sharing would be turned back on. I think we should also keep sanctions on Russia. I think NATO membership should be on the table for Ukraine, because Vladimir Putin only understands strength.
When he invaded Crimea in 2014, a lot of people, including myself, didn’t think our response was strong enough. We were concerned that Vladimir Putin couldn’t be trusted to abide by negotiated agreements. And three years ago, of course, Putin proved us right when he directed his forces to attack Ukraine again in a full-scale invasion.
His missiles struck kindergartens and maternity wards, and they continue to strike innocent civilians. His soldiers carried out massacres in places like Bucha—where just a few weeks ago I saw firsthand, along with Senators Bennet and Tillis, the lingering effects and trauma of what Vladimir Putin and the Russians did in Bucha. We heard about the indiscriminate murdering of civilians—the rape and torture of innocent bystanders. While Russian soldiers rushed into Ukraine from the North, from the South and from the East, and many predicted that the country would fall within weeks if not days. But as we stand on the floor today, Ukraine is still standing and that’s thanks in no small part to the strong bipartisan support that Ukraine has enjoyed here in Congress.
And I think that support—that strong bipartisan support—has been there because we understand that this is a fight for democracy. This is a fight to stop the overturning of the international rules-based order, to stop a dictator like Vladimir Putin from going into a country and thinking just because he wants to take it over, he can. And we know that not only are our allies watching what happens here, but so are our adversaries.
North Korea is already fighting on Russia’s side against the Ukrainians. Iran is providing missiles. China is providing support. They are watching what America does here. We understand, as Republican and Democratic Senators, that to have a lasting peace in Ukraine, we need to make sure that Russia is accountable and that we have security guarantees. Now, there are a number of ways to do that and they don’t necessarily mean U.S. troops on the ground or even NATO troops on the ground—Europe is working through different options.
As I said, Senator Tillis and I were recently in Ukraine along with Senator Bennet, and we saw first-hand that despite Russia’s advantages in size and manpower, that Ukrainians are not giving up. Ukraine now has one of the most advanced militaries in the world—the most advanced in Europe. I came away impressed by their ingenuity—their ability to innovate in the face of Russian aggression. Ukrainians are sharing those lessons from the battlefield with our United States military. They’re helping us prepare for the wars of the future.
It’s not just something that we understand in Congress is important, but my constituents in New Hampshire understand how important it is that we support the Ukrainians. And I brought with me today a poster from a community effort in New Hampshire that has raised $4 million to support the people and children, particularly, of Ukraine. They provided three million plus pounds of food, 10,000 sleeping bags, hundreds of generators, 900 children are in trauma counseling because of their effort. They’ve raised over four million dollars from New Hampshire to support the Ukrainians. And Americans across this country understand why this fight is important to us. It's why we’re here on the floor today to reiterate that we stand with Ukraine.
And I urge all of my colleagues who support Ukraine—Republicans and Democrats alike—to join us. Join us in speaking up for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. Join us in pushing to strengthen Ukraine’s place at the negotiating table. Join us in calling on Moscow to withdraw from the Ukrainian territory that it seized.
Thousands of Ukrainians have given their lives in this fight, they've been on the front lines for all of us. As a group of women in the Ukrainian military said to me in the first year of the war, “Give us the equipment, give us the arms, so that we can fight the Russians so that you and America don’t have to.” While they’ve been on the frontlines for all of us defending the international order that has served American interests since the end of World War II. I hope that we will continue to support them in that effort.
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