WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued this statement following Ukraine’s parliamentary elections:
“Almost a year ago, Ukrainians began their protests for democratic reform, a movement that led to the deaths of over 100 hundred pro-democracy advocates. Those courageous individuals in the Maidan were standing up to chart their own future, free of foreign intervention or influence. This past Sunday, the Ukrainian people expressed their democratic will by voting overwhelmingly to send representatives to parliament that want to lead the country in a pro-European direction. President Poroshenko will now have allies in parliament to begin trying to build a free and democratic Ukraine.
“Ukraine continues to suffer under severe pressure caused by Russia’s invasion of its sovereign territory. There is no greater response to Russian aggression than this expression of Ukrainian democracy, and the United States will continue to support President Poroshenko and Ukraine’s new parliament as they work to fulfill a mandate of reform and government accountability.”
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