Insisting on Strong Action for Ukraine: Saturday Remarks

Press Release

U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), member of the Ukraine Caucus, provided these remarks at a Texas Capitol event Saturday to stand with Ukraine:

"I stand with Ukraine. Deep in the heart of Texas, Ukrainian Texans are standing together and standing strong joined by neighbors, whose tie to Ukraine is a shared commitment to freedom. So many here suffer from uncertainty and the pain of knowing friends and loved ones remain in peril.

As we pray for all of those who suffer, we must respond with more than words; we must insist on stronger action. We are confronting a war criminal. Weakness will not work with Vladimir Putin. Not since September 1, 1939 when Hitler marched troops into Poland have we seen such a bloody, unprovoked attack. As a longtime member of the Ukraine Caucus myself, I am urging the use of every avenue, taking every step to respond: None by itself will be sufficient, but all are needed to isolate Russia and overcome its brutal aggression.

America should supply more weapons and intelligence to Ukraine immediately and make clear now that we will continue that support to Ukrainian fighters even if Putin occupies much of the country.

We should close every possible avenue for Russian participation in the world economy. Friday, I introduced new legislation to deny trade privileges that Russia currently enjoys and to work to expel Russia from the World Trade Organization. As Putin undermines the stability carefully built since World War II, he and his oligarch pals should not benefit from the trading system created to ensure that stability and peace.

Now is not the time to hold back sanctions until Putin does something worse. The murder of innocent Ukrainians is already more than ample justification to invoke every sanction available. Russia should already have been cut off from the bank messaging system known as SWIFT. Indeed, we need swift action on every way to cut off Russia from the international financing system and its ability to access Western capital, its ability to engage with normal nations, since it has shown no respect for other nations.

When Russia rolls those tanks across, when families are being murdered in Ukraine right now, when we see Kyiv besieged, we need to use every tool in our toolbox and not hold them back, just as we need to hold back no weapons that the Ukrainians need in their courageous attempt to resist Russian forces. No matter what Russian forces advance where, Putin needs to know that we will keep up the weapons, the support, and the intelligence, to any armed resistance, as long as it takes. I stand with Ukrainians proud of their hard-fought freedom, fighting to prevent it from being snuffed out now by a tyrant.

My message in Congress, and to all Texans and all Americans each day is this: Let us honor the courage and steadfastness of the Ukrainian people by remaining steadfast in our support of them."

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