Durbin Urges Congress To Pass The Supplemental Funding Package To Aid Ukraine
Durbin: Ukraine is fighting with the lives of its people against a nuclear state that threatens the world
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to pass the supplemental funding package, which includes aid for Ukraine to combat Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war. Later this week, Ukraine President Zelensky will visit Congress and the United Nations General Assembly.
Durbin began his speech by highlighting Putin’s desperate pleas to restore Russia’s so-called “lost glory.”
Durbin said, “It is the twisted rationale behind his invasion of Ukraine, one that has led to nearly half a million Ukrainians and Russians being killed or wounded simply for Putin’s blood thirsty ambition. The International Criminal Court, when it looked at the activity of the Russian invaders in Ukraine, ended up branding Vladimir Putin a war criminal. Why would they call him a war criminal? Because he killed innocent civilians certainly, but equally because they had a mass abduction of Ukrainian children into Russia, something that has hardly ever happened in history, but Putin has done it. It was the first time in history for a leader of one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council to be charged.”
“Putin has isolated Russia. He has arrested Russians forpolitical dissent, squashed freedom of the press, and destroyed Russia’s economy. Despite these clearly tragic outcomes, he is doubling down even further in a move my colleague Senator Coons aptly calls the ‘devil’s deal.’ You see, international sanctions, global isolation, and a determined Ukrainian military have left Putin scrambling formilitary supplies and weapons,” Durbin continued.
Durbin then condemned Putin’s decision to ask Iran, and even North Korea, for weapons. He concluded his speech by highlighting how important it is to aid Ukraine, for the sake of Eastern Europe, and the world.
“This battle is not just for Ukraine’s sovereignty—it's for our own protection in the years to come… Quite simply, Ukraine is fighting with the lives of its people against a nuclear state that threatens the world. If Ukraine falls, Putin will certainly go further, to the Baltic States, to Poland, and trigger an even wider war. Putin cannot be changed, but he can be stopped in Ukraine. I agree with President Zelensky—we must continue our support for the brave Ukrainians fighting fortheir country and against Russian tyranny that threatens the larger free world. We can start by passing the Biden Administration’s funding request. I am going to do my part here in the Senate to make sure we get that done, and call on my colleagues to do the same,” Durbin concluded.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is availablehere.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is availablehere.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is availablehere for TV Stations.
-30-
Previous Article Next Article