Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
JERSEY CITY, N.J – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alongside U.S. House Representative Rob Menendez (D-N.J.-08) and USAID Assistant Administrator Erin E. McKee, today stood in solidarity with Ukrainian community leaders from across New Jersey to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Senator reaffirmed his unshakable commitment to ensure Ukraine receives the resources it needs and that Vladimir Putin and his cronies are ultimately held accountable for their war crimes.
“One year ago, the maternity ward in Mariupol was filled with healthy newborn babies and their mothers. One year ago, children ran through the playground in Shevchenko Park in the heart of Kyiv […] but we gather here today, because one year later—all that has changed when Vladimir Putin, in his fantasy of restoring the Soviet empire, decided that Ukrainians should be part of Russia,” said Sen. Menendez. “He decided to deny Ukraine’s own unique history and on February 24, 2022, he attacked Ukraine. He has recruited Russian criminals to fight in his army, unleashed wave after wave of missile attacks targeting civilians and critical infrastructure, and with his invasion, he has forced more than 8 million Ukrainians to flee their country and seek refuge. Yet his war in Ukraine has not only revealed just how weak he is, it has shown the world just how strong Ukrainians are. As so many of the people we have here today can attest, the Ukrainian spirit has not been broken[…] There is no silver lining to this, but I do believe, like you, that Ukraine will win this war. Like you, I believe it must win this war. So let us continue fighting for Ukraine. Let us defend Ukrainian sovereignty and independence.”
[CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE]
Following the speaking program, the group made their way toward the Hudson River waterfront to place a wreath on the pier and sunflowers in the water in memory of all the Ukrainians who have lost their lives since the start of invasion on February 24, 2022.
“Nearly a year after Vladimir Putin began his illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people have shown to the world time and time again their courage and resilience,” said Congressman Rob Menendez. “The Biden Administration, in turn, has united our country and our allies across the world in support of the Ukrainian cause, culminating with President Zelenskyy’s address to Congress in December, which I had the honor of attending. While the ultimate goal is for every Ukrainian to return home to a free Ukraine, I am proud that our communities, including those here in New Jersey’s Eighth Congressional District, have welcomed so many Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war as our neighbors. Moving forward, we must continue to work to accommodate and assist displaced Ukrainians in the United States through TPS, the U4U program, and other programs to allow them to remain in the United States. I am proud to continue to stand with President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in their effort to repel Putin’s invasion and to keep Ukraine free for future generations of proud Ukrainians.”
“After nearly one year of a brutal war, confronting one of the world’s largest, most heavily armed militaries — the Government of Ukraine still stands strong and capable,” said USAID Assistant Administrator McKee. “The Ukrainian people demonstrate daily heroism and bravery. And newly liberated communities emerging from occupation exemplify patriotism and resilience, despite the horror they have endured. At USAID, we are proud to stand beside the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”
“Ukraine’s enduring and courageous stand against Russia’s invasion has shown to the whole world that Ukrainians are willing to lay down their lives for the sovereignty of their homeland, and for the same democratic values that have long defined the United States of America,” said Natalia Ioffe, a member of the Ukrainian community and President of the Jersey City Board of Education.
“As Ukrainian Americans, it is our hope that countries such as ours continue to stand with Ukraine knowing that its people are fighting not only for their future, but for the values and ideals all democracies have pledged to defend,” said Anya Tomko, a member of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey.
“On the one-year anniversary of the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, members of the Ukrainian American diaspora in the United States stand with Chairman Menendez as we support his efforts to provide vital military support to the people of Ukraine,” said Victor Herlinsky, a member of the Ukrainian community in New Jersey. “There has been no greater friend to the Ukrainian community than Senator Menendez. We applaud his efforts to sanction the barbaric acts of the Russian government stemming from their initial incursion into Ukrainian territory in 2014 to the present day.”
As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Menendez has been a forceful advocate for providing Ukraine with the necessary assistance and resources to confront Russia’s ever-growing aggression towards Ukrainian sovereignty. Last month, the committee held a hearing titled “Countering Russian Aggression: Ukraine and Beyond,” during which the Senator reiterated that it is critical for the United States and our democratic allies to show authoritarian regimes of the world that the invasion and subjugation of free peoples is unacceptable.
Throughout the last year, Sen. Menendez has led efforts to ensure Congress approved billions of dollars in financial assistance for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, worked in a bipartisan fashion to support the Biden Administration’s efforts to rally the free world around Ukraine, and successfully led the process for ratifying the NATO ascension protocols for Sweden and Finland. In 2014, following Putin’s illegal annexation of Crimea, Chairman Menendez and then-Ranking Member Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) introduced and successfully ushered the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 through both chambers in Congress, which provided the U.S. government with tools to impose broad sanctions on Russia’s defense, energy, and financial sectors, as well as increases military and non-military assistance for Ukraine.
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