Ukraine

Floor Speech

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Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, for weeks, the United States and the world have witnessed the horrors that are unfolding in Ukraine, the result of Russia's unprovoked and unjust attacks on a sovereign nation and its people. Innocent men, women, and children have lost their lives. Homes have been destroyed, neighborhoods and businesses obliterated. Families and communities have been torn apart, some never to be reunited again.

Let's be clear: The blame for this chaos and devastation falls directly on the shoulders of one tyrant--one tyrant--Vladimir Putin. And no amount of hollow justifications, false equivocations, false flag operations, or outright propaganda will change that.

Putin, you are responsible. Putin, you will not prevail. Justice is coming--coming for you and coming for your cronies.

And as appalling as the stories and videos of Russia's brutality have been, we have also seen incredible acts of heroism, kindness, and patriotism from Ukrainian leaders, the military, and, well, everyday citizens. The people of Ukraine have inspired the entire world with their resilience, with their courage, and with their determination to live in a free and democratic country.

This past week, I joined my colleagues in a call with President Zelenskyy, and I will say now what we said to him then. We are with you. And the people from Nevada, we are with you too.

From north to south, Nevadans have come together to voice their support for the Ukrainian people and their opposition to Russia's aggression and brutality. Nevadans agree that we can't sit idly by as Putin continues to terrorize--terrorize--the Ukrainian people. The horrific images that the world has seen, they require action. They require action. We cannot sit idly by and do nothing.

Here in Congress, we are working to give Ukraine more security assistance and to hold Putin accountable by crippling Russia's economy. And I call on every Senator in this body to vote yes on the omnibus package, which includes nearly $14 billion to aid Ukraine's fight against Putin's forces and to support the Ukrainian people. This bipartisan legislation builds on the work that Congress and the administration have been doing over the past several weeks to confront Vladimir Putin head-on.

I applaud the Biden administration for so forcefully bringing together an international coalition of partners, a coalition that stands behind Ukraine's cause: the cause for freedom. But we must do more. We must do more to support Ukraine, to devastate Russia's economy, and to stop Putin's violent attacks.

President Zelenskyy made it clear in our call just this past weekend that Ukraine urgently needs fighter jets to defend itself. Let's heed his call and work closely together with our European partners that have these jets to provide Ukraine with the aircraft they desperately need and to find ways to compensate or backfill our allies' supplies.

We also must continue to strengthen the security of our NATO allies and demonstrate that the transatlantic community remains united. And we must do more to bring Putin's war to an end and make Putin himself feel the full consequences of his horrible actions. That means hitting Russia's economy where they will feel it most: energy.

Just this week, I cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would end all Russian energy imports to the United States. I am glad to see the Biden administration responded to this call and that the United States is now ending all Russian energy imports, which are funding Putin's cruel, cruel, cruel, and unprovoked war. I am heartened to see the United Kingdom follow suit, and I call on all of our allies to do the same.

Another area where we can put pressure on Russia is through trade. As chair of the Commerce subcommittee that oversees trade policy, I strongly support legislation to strip Russia's most favored nation status at the World Trade Organization. And I am committed to pursuing additional actions that would severely weaken Russia's economy and drain Putin's war fund.

And our efforts are not only about defending Ukraine and stopping Russia, though stop them we must. This is about defending democracy and the fundamental right of a nation and its people to choose their own destiny--the fundamental right of a nation and its people to choose its own destiny.

America must make it clear that we will not stand idly by when an autocratic bully decides to invade another nation without provocation and without justification. The United States and our allies must leave no stone unturned to ensure that Vladimir Putin pays a steep price for his aggression against the people of Ukraine.

We--we--must continue to serve as a shield and a beacon for democracy and freedom for those in need. On behalf of the Battle Born State of Nevada, I stand with Ukraine and will continue fighting to make sure the United States stands proud and strong as a beacon of peace and security.

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