In Support of Ukraine

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Subcommittee on National Security, I rise in strong support of aid for a free and independent Ukraine. I also stand in solidarity with the more than 37 million Ukrainian people who have never relented in their fight for freedom in the face of more than 2 years of state-sponsored terrorism launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This past weekend, the Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that with U.S. assistance depleted, Ukrainian army positions along the country's 600-mile eastern border have ``worsened significantly in recent days.''

With Ukrainian soldiers facing a critical munitions shortage, Russian troops are currently firing 10 artillery rounds for every Ukrainian round. Until the prolonged impasse on Ukraine funding here in Congress, the United States was the primary ammunition supplier for the Ukrainian army. Now, the top American military commander in Europe describes the situation succinctly when he says: ``If one side can shoot and the other side can't shoot back, the side that can't shoot back loses.'' It is as simple as that.

Ukraine's air and missile defense systems are also similarly depleted. In reference to a recent Russia air strike targeting a key power plant in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that Ukraine simply ran out of the missiles necessary to defend its critical energy infrastructure.

Russia, in fact, has taken full tactical advantage of escalating lapses in the Ukrainian air defenses, launching aerial offenses against almost every power plant in the country.

Not surprisingly, Russian troops are continuing to advance in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, a primary goal of Vladimir Putin. Russia has brutally bombarded the city of Myrnohrad, also known as the City of Peace, and is now well-positioned to capture the strategic town of Chasiv Yar, whose high ground will enable Russian forces to launch direct offensives against the last Ukrainian strongholds in the east.

Meanwhile, over 40 percent of Ukraine's civilian population--or nearly 15 million people--are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reports that the country endured a 20 percent increase in civilian casualties and injuries last month over February of 2024, with double the number of children killed or injured.

Moreover, large-scale coordinated attacks on Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure destroyed or damaged 20 energy facilities across the country, leaving millions without electricity and running water.

According to the Global Rights Compliance, an international human rights organization that is assisting the Ukrainian Government investigating and prosecuting Russia war crimes, ``The stark reality is that more and more Ukrainians are dying by the day as the Ukraine aid package remains stalled in Congress.''

After several months of refusing to even consider aid for Ukraine, Speaker Johnson is now indicating that he plans to bring up a foreign package as soon as this week. Unfortunately, the House Republican majority is still playing politics with a matter of grave importance to the Ukrainian people and democracy globally, going to great lengths to craft legislation designed to appease an extreme faction of the Republican Conference.

This political gamesmanship continues even though the United States Senate passed a bipartisan foreign aid package more than 2 months ago that I believe would easily pass this House with the necessary support from Members on both sides of the aisle.

We have reached a new low in this Congress. It is totally unthinkable throughout our history that a Republican Member of this House would attack a democratic ally and support a gangster and a war criminal like Vladimir Putin, but that is where we are today.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy recently stated that the United States Congress needs to think twice about pushing these political matters with regard to supporting Ukraine and vote to support all of the countries whose lives depend upon it. I strongly agree. I urge the House Republican leadership to take up the Senate bill and ensure that Ukraine and our other international allies like Israel will receive the support they urgently need.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source