Sen. Ernst Calls On Administration To Provide Lethal Assistance To Ukraine
“They are a sovereign nation. They are an ally”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined a bipartisan group of Senate Armed Services Committee members in a press conference calling attention to the worsening situation in Ukraine, a sovereign nation and ally of the United States. The bipartisan group of Senators urged President Obama to act with this united Congress to provide lethal assistance to Ukraine.
Click here to watch Senator Ernst’s remarks.
Click here to view the entire press conference.
TRANSCRIPT:
SENATOR ERNST: Thank you Mr. Chairman, thank you Ranking Member Reed. It’s great to be here with my colleagues on an issue that we all agree upon. Many, many years ago I was very fortunate and had the privilege of attending an agricultural exchange in Ukraine while it was still part of the former Soviet Union. And we lived, the Iowa students and myself, lived on a collective farm for a number of weeks. And in the evening, when the community members came together, we did not talk about agricultural practices as I anticipated. What we talked about was what it was like to be free and what it was like to be an American, those were the things that the Ukrainians wanted to know. They wanted to know about freedom and democracy. And just a few short years later, they became an independent nation. They are a sovereign nation. They are an ally. So I am in full agreement that we do need to provide lethal assistance to our friends in Ukraine. To President Poroshenko to push back on aggression on coming from President Putin and Russia. So, I would encourage all of you to take this word, show that we are moving as a unified Congress in acting that we provide lethal assistance to our allies. The world will determine if we are friends to our allies around the world, and also in the same token, in protecting our own national security interests. So again Chairman, thank you. Senator Reed, thank you for allowing us to be here today.
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