As part of a congressional delegation that met in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this past week, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has called for bipartisan military support from Congress for Ukraine to combat attacks from Russia on their homeland.
“We need to demonstrate that the American people are behind Ukraine, and that needs to be our priority,” said Murkowski, during a news conference in Kyiv, with Senators Joe Manchin, D- W. Va. and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. The delegation, joined by country music artist Brad Paisley of West Virginia, met with Ukrainian leaders on a variety of topics including military readiness, energy security, accountability of foreign assistance, and the rebuilding of Ukraine.
“For more than a year, the people of Ukraine have stood against the unspeakable atrocities unleashed against them by Vladimir Putin. Ukraine is an inspiration to the world, and it was an honor to meet with President Zelenskyy to reiterate our unwavering bipartisan support for their sovereignty and fledgling democracy,” said Murkowski, a senior member of the Senate’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “Despite the incredible hardships the Ukrainian people are enduring, they continue to show there are few things more powerful than a democracy fueled by unity and hope.”
Upon her return home, Murkowski said she is “more committed than ever to ensuring that Congress provides the assistance that Ukraine needs.
“The United States’ commitment is an investment. It’s an investment in the democracy of the free world,” she said. “This cannot be a partisan split. This cannot be a partisan effort. This needs to be the United States standing with Ukraine every step of the way. And so, part of our job whether it is just speak to those within our respective parties, different countries, we need to make sure that the support does not waver and part of that is in the communication.”
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, have also said they support Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Senators Manchin and Kelly also pledged their support during the news conference in Kyiv, a taped copy of which was provided by Murkowski’s office in Washington D.C.
“The Ukrainian people continue to show unimaginable courage in the face of Vladimir Putin’s unjust war. I was honored to meet with President Zelenskyy and members of his cabinet in Kyiv to learn firsthand about the challenges they face as this war rages on,” said Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and also serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Manchin said he is now more committed than ever to ensure that Congress provides the assistance that Ukraine needs.
“What we’ve seen here is the incredible resolve of the Ukrainian people and their leaders, the importance of our and our allies’ military assistance in enabling the Ukrainians to defend their country up to this point, and the unspeakable brutality of war crimes carried out by Putin and his military,” said Kelly, a U.S. Navy combat veteran. “For the sake of democracy, freedom, and our vital national security interests, Putin must lose this war.”
