Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09) released the following statement regarding a briefing he joined this morning with President Zelensky of Ukraine:
“This morning I joined a Congressional briefing with President Zelensky of Ukraine and bipartisan members of the House and Senate. Our nearly hour-long discussion centered on the status of the ongoing war and the continued need for robust support from the United States and our allies in the form of additional weapons and pressure on Putin in the form of sanctions and trade restrictions. It is clear there is bipartisan consensus in both the House and Senate that the United States must continue to support Ukraine with arms and isolate Putin with tougher sanctions.”
“President Zelensky reported that Russian troops continue to be bewildered. They were lied to, told they were just training or that the Ukrainian people would welcome them. They are literally in shock at the resistance and courage of the Ukrainian people. The Russians have also proven to be butchers, targeting civilian areas and dangerously engaging in battle near several nuclear sites in Ukraine. President Zelensky and the Army’s leadership have strictly ordered Ukraine’s soldiers not to cross the line between being humane and being animals. It appears the Russian Army is under no such orders.”
“While the Ukrainian people and their military have held back the Russian advance, more support is needed. We must immediately deliver requested anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile systems. Critically, President Zelensky requested airplanes for the Ukrainian military to be able to counter Russian planes in the skies over Ukraine. This support for the Ukrainian military must be delivered immediately, time is of the essence.”
“There is also more we must do to isolate Putin and Russia. President Zelensky explicitly asked for a U.S. embargo of Russian oil. This is an important step that the Biden Administration must take. I cosponsored a bipartisan bill today that would cut off Russian imports of oil. It is unconscionable that the U.S. is paying nearly $2 billion per month for Russian energy that we can produce ourselves.”
“Zelensky’s courage is extremely admirable and hopefully contagious. We must support the Ukrainian people in this fight by providing the weapons they request and imposing economic measures that will strangle Putin’s ability to wage war. This is not just a war between Ukraine and Russia, it’s a war between justice and injustice, good and evil, democracy and authoritarianism. In this fight, the U.S. must continue to rally our allies and support Ukraine against a force for evil.”
Original source can be found here.
