Kaptur Statement on Buzzfeed Story

Statement

As founder and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus and someone who has dedicated herself to helping Ukraine and her people gain their full liberty, I am dismayed and deeply disheartened to see my comments selectively printed, or edited out of context by Buzzfeed. The blog post utterly misrepresents and convolutes my position on Russia's illegal invasion of Crimea. It is false, inaccurate and does not remotely reflect my position or my feelings about the Ukrainian political crisis. My position is this: I stand with the freedom lovers of Maidan, and have proclaimed so many, many times. I condemn the illegal invasion of Ukrainian territory by Russia under Putin and call for the immediate withdrawal of the Russian military. Furthermore, I support American and international efforts to assist Ukraine during this perilous time and will expend every effort to contribute to the country's long-term economic prosperity with European aspirations and development in all directions--west, east, north and south--to meet her destiny as a great borderlands nation and the crossroads of Central Europe. I also support an international peacekeeping force, if the new government of Ukraine requests it, to avoid further bloodshed.

I can say with certainty that no Member of Congress has spoken more about Ukraine, engaged with more of its leaders and citizenry, or visited there more often, starting in 1973 when it was still under Soviet occupation and most recently last July. As a Member of Congress, I founded and developed the House Ukrainian Caucus to give Ukraine voice at the highest levels when no channel existed. In 1985, as a junior Member of Congress, I co-authored the legislation to create the Holodomor Commission to document the forced starvation of millions of Ukrainians at the hands of the Soviet Union. In terms of my continuing efforts to record the truth about the tyrannical abuses of the Soviet dictatorship, I was instrumental in spearheading efforts to release thousands of pages of documents relating to the massacre of Polish officers at Katyn.

I wholeheartedly support the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for a democratic, free and just society where the rule of law prevails, without corruption or government violence directed against citizens.

I support the new government of Ukraine and its ability to function free of interference from Russia.

This moment in Ukraine's history is so pivotal that I find it highly disturbing and destructive to have my remarks be taken so utterly out of context. My record of heartfelt support of Ukraine's struggle for full liberty is documented in the Congressional Record, multiple news stories, and personal writings. Buzzfeed should accurately print my actual position in the interests of Ukraine and its people's heroic struggle for liberty and full human rights.

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