Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
December 8, 2022 | Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) spoke on the Senate floor for the 27th consecutive week while the Senate has been in session as Russia continues its illegal and brutal war on Ukraine. Portman discussed the situation on the battlefield and Russian assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing blackouts throughout the nation and forcing Ukrainians to endure brutal winter months. Portman also urged the administration to provide more aid to Ukraine, including fourth-generation fighter jets, Abrams main battle tanks, and long-range missiles.
Senator Portman also reflected on Ukraine’s wins on the battlefield, and how those victories have been made possible with the generous support of the American people and our allies. He spoke about the significant safeguards and transparency mechanisms that are in place for all U.S. assistance to Ukraine, and that there has been no documented instance of diversion of military aid. He also applauded the European Union’s ban on seaborne Russian oil sales but expressed skepticism that the European, G-7, and Australian “price cap” will make a significant impact on Russian oil revenues.
A co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Ukraine Caucus and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Portman has met with various Ukrainian officials and has long been a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s fight for freedom over tyranny. Portman has now gone to Ukraine three times since Russia invaded Ukraine, and 10 times since the Euromaidan, or “Revolution of Dignity. He will continue to ensure the United States supports Ukraine from the Kremlin’s brutal and costly invasion.
A transcript of his remarks can be found below and a video can be found here.
“I come to the floor for the 27th consecutive week since the invasion of Ukraine to give another update to the American people on the brutal, illegal, and totally unprovoked attack by Russia on its neighbor, Ukraine. This is at a time when brave Ukrainian freedom fighters continue to successfully fend off the third largest army in the world. What Russia thought was going to be a week-long invasion, successfully occupying Ukraine, has now passed the nine-month mark. Against all odds, Ukraine has not only survived, but they pushed back a much larger Russian army. More than half of the land that Russia occupied in Ukraine, remember, they were all up here in the area of Kharkiv, and down here, more than half of the land has been liberated already. Here in the northeast part of Ukraine, near Kharkiv, in this province, the Kharkiv Oblast, the Ukrainian forces continue to make progress pushing back against the Russian forces. It’s been slow. A combination of things.
“One, it’s mud season. It’s very difficult for them to get through the mud with their armored vehicles. But, second is the Russian forces who are pushed back from here in September have now dug in along this line. So, it’s slower going. But they continue to fight. They are continuing with the momentum that started when they took over Kharkiv. Farther south near Bakhmut, and Bakhmut is in this area, I was actually in Bakhmut back in 2018 at the so-called line of contact. There is very intense fighting going on. This is where you’ve had months and months of fierce combat, lots of artillery. It’s turned this area, the Bakhmut area where I was, into a battlefield reminiscent of what you might have seen during world War II, just total destruction, as you can see from this photograph.
“This is the Bakhmut area today. There, you have the Russian forces, mostly the Wagner Group, which is a mercenary group, making steady but very slow progress. Ukraine has made them pay dearly for every meter. But that is again kind of in that central part of eastern Ukraine. In the south of Ukraine, near Kherson, they have also made good progress. You can see here in the blue where Ukrainian forces in the fall, earlier this fall were able to liberate parts of occupied Ukraine. This is an interesting area. I think it’s relatively quiet right now. We had a briefing today about that. But I don’t think it’s going to stay quiet for long. This is an area to watch. There are already reports of Ukrainian raids actually on a small peninsula there.
“This is a little closer look at this. Ukrainian raids have now been made on this peninsula which goes out into the Black Sea. Also, we know that Ukrainian forces have crossed the river here, the Nepa river, and planted Ukrainian flags on the other side of the river letting the Ukrainians know they are not safe in this region. This is Ukraine. They have also started to facilitate evacuations of some of the Ukrainian civilians from this side, the occupied side of the river. All this indicates to me that the Ukrainians are continuing to send a clear signal to the Russians that they are not done in terms of liberating this part of Ukraine this winter. Unfortunately, while the nation of Ukraine has survived this war, so far not all Ukrainians have.
“These gains on the battlefield I talked about have come at a tremendous cost. Casualty reports have been hard to come by but we know tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during this liberation. It’s not just the men and women in uniform that are taking the brunt of Vladimir Putin’s aggression. Since the first day of this war innocent Ukrainians themselves have been dying, intentionally targeted by Russian forces. How many cities and villages have now become infamous for the war crimes committed by Russia? Bucha and Irpin, cities where I was visiting several weeks ago. Mariupol. Izium. Think of a four-year-old, Liza.
“She was killed in Vinnytsia in July. Think of two-day old Serhii who was killed two weeks ago two days old, a new born, at a maternity hospital in Vilniansk. The United Nations reports that at least 6,500 civilians have been killed in this senseless Russian war, then adds that, ‘the actual figures are considerably higher, we just don’t know what they are.’ This is because we know so little about the horrors which are occurring behind enemy lines. So, when you think about it, although we know more about the casualties that have occurred in the interior of Ukraine, what we don’t know is how many casualties are occurring and war crimes and deaths are occurring in this Russian occupied area, the red area. What we do know is that so many of the atrocities in this war are only brought to light months after they occur.
“They happen in silence and then they are discovered when these territories are liberated by Ukrainian forces. That’s the bittersweet pattern of this war. You have the Russians occupying a territory, committing heinous war crimes, atrocities. And then the area is liberated and we discover these horrific crimes. And Russia’s crimes aren’t limited to the territory it occupies. Russian forces are losing on the battlefield, as we talked about, not making the progress they want, and they are sort of taking their frustration out on the rest of Ukraine. This is with cruise missiles and drones bombing all of these other parts of Ukraine. They continue to strike noncombatants, a whole new wave of attacks occurred yesterday as an example, mostly on Ukrainian infrastructure, energy infrastructure, but also on just civilian targets.
“They have destroyed neighborhoods, schools, hospitals. As this photo shows, they’ve really targeted civilian infrastructure. This is, again, some of the energy infrastructure that they have targeted. When I was in Kyiv with Senator Coons about three weeks ago, we were there several days after one of the power plants had been attacked. Actually, the national utility. And, these were targeted attacks on the infrastructure, but also Ukrainians, civilians and workers were killed. It’s not just collateral damage. These are targeted attacks on civilians. Targeted and cruel. Russia’s goal, of course, is to try to force a whole new wave of civilians to flee from their homes and head west. This massive displacement of course would further devastate Ukraine’s economy which is already expected to contract about 35 percent this year. We’ve seen this time and time again since the war started.
“They can’t defeat Ukraine on the battlefield so they strike behind the battlefield to try to destroy Ukraine as a whole. The actions by the Kremlin to destroy the civilian areas and kill innocent Ukrainians are also of course meant to dampen the Ukrainian resolve. But what I’ve seen on my trips to Ukraine and my trips to the region is that every time there is a Russian atrocity, the resolve of the Ukrainian people doesn’t weaken, it gets stronger, and for good reason. And the Ukrainian military certainly isn’t backing down in their fierce defense of their homeland. A Ukrainian spokesman recently said that if Ukraine intends, that Ukraine intends to continue if not accelerate its counteroffensive this winter in the areas we’ve talked about. In particular, here and here.
“So, stay tuned because I think the Ukrainians are not done yet this winter. In many places along the front line, although the winter is bitterly cold for the infantry, the ground is also frozen solid which makes mechanized warfare possible again. Additionally, on Monday and again today, there were explosions reported at military bases in Russia. These are military bases hundreds of miles behind the front lines. So, this is in Russian territory. There are military bases that are experiencing explosions. These bases happen to house the T.U.-95 bombers which have regularly taken part in Russia’s deadly cruise missile strikes against Ukrainian civilians. According to the British Ministry of Defense, these explosions constitute, as they say, ‘some of the most strategically significant failures of Russian force protection since the Russians invasion of Ukraine.’
“Ukraine is a shield defending freedom in the West. When I visited Ukraine in August and November, I heard from so many Ukrainians who see themselves that way. They are holding Russia at bay, essentially, for the rest of the world. For years, think about it, Russia has threatened Europe and other regions with military action. We’ve all witnessed their attack on the country of Georgia and their brutal attack to Syria and Chechnya. In 2014 and then again, of course, in February of this year Ukraine became Russia’s next target, and if Ukraine falls Russia promised other dominoes will fall in Eastern and Central Europe. They have said openly they want to re-create the Soviet Union with a Russian empire which would include so many countries in the region.
“The brave soldiers of Ukraine, men and women in uniform are holding back the forces of Russian tyranny and we should honor their sacrifice and their bravery. Fortunately, they’re not in this fight alone. Over 50 countries from around the world have stepped up to help Ukraine defend itself. Ukraine’s freedom fighters have been trained and equipped not just by the United States, but by dozens of other countries that believe in freedom. Ukrainians are well aware of this and they are eternally grateful. I hear this gratitude every time I am with Ukrainians. Yesterday I met with a bunch of Ukrainian parliamentarians, from their Rada, here in Washington. But when I’ve been in Ukraine I’ve heard it also. When I spoke with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv in August and again in November, the first thing he said was, ‘thank you to the American people.’
“The aid from the United States and our allies does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Ukrainian soldiers are bearing the brunt of Russia’s wrath but because of the significant assistance provided by the West, President Zelenskyy speaks about this war against Russian aggression as a joint battle and we should continue to strive together towards our joint victory. Ukrainians are well aware of the need to provide transparency to taxpayers here in the United States as to how this aid is being used. I think that’s very important. During both of my visits to Kyiv this year, I spoke with our diplomats at the U.S. Embassy about how they are ensuring proper oversight and accountability for military aid. I’ve also met twice with the 101st airborne in Poland, the principal unit responsible for delivery of U.S. and allied military assistance.
“They’ve gone into great detail about how they are tracking and monitoring U.S. military assistance through so-called ‘End-Use’ monitoring to ensure military equipment actually ends up in the right hands. One thing interesting to me, confirmed again today is that we have sent these HIMARS, which are these rocket launching systems to Ukraine that have been particularly effective, and that at least at this point we sent about 20 of them, not a single one, not a single one has been attacked or destroyed or has gotten into the wrong hands. We also believe from what we know, unbelievably that with all the weapons we are sending to Ukraine, we don’t have any instances that are documented of these weapons getting into the wrong hands. Plenty of Russian weapons have gotten into Ukrainians’ hands, I will tell you that, including lots of armored vehicles that they have left behind.
“So, no one is advocating that this Congress or U.S. taxpayers give Ukraine a blank check. This aid is generously provided by taxpayers, so it’s got to be accountable to taxpayers. Ukraine knows that, again, and has gone to great lengths to provide transparency even in this time of war. These resources fund not only Ukraine’s military, they back the government and help maintain and repair civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s economy has been hit so hard by this conflict and without help from its allies the government there would be unable to provide many basic services to its citizens. The Europeans, Japanese, and others of course have stepped up here, as they should.
“This is particularly important this winter as Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to plunge the country into cold darkness. The humanitarian aid from the U.S. and dozens of other countries has ensured that innocent men, women, and children are able to survive the cold Ukrainian winter amidst these heinous Russian war crimes. Our economic aid along with that of the European Union and dozens of other countries has supported Ukraine’s government so that critical services to its citizens can continue. With regard to economic assistance, by the way, the Ukraine budget support goes through the World Bank from the United States because in addition to our own oversight, the Bank adds a second layer of oversight and accountability – including issuing periodic reports and audits to both parties. Economic assistance is further monitored by a U.S.-AID contractor, the U.S. accounting firm, Deloitte. They monitor all expenses. Which is a good thing, in my view. We also need to ensure that our constituents, and what we are providing to Ukraine is actually working, it’s making a difference, and it certainly is.
“When Ukraine took back the city of Kherson here, which was the first and only provincial Capital taken by Russia, the key element to their success, I am told, was the military equipment provided by the United States and others, but primarily the United States. That was the HIMARS launchers we talked about a moment ago. These missile launchers were very effective at tearing down the Russian infrastructure that was providing the supplies to Russia. So, the weapons, the food, and so on. By wearing down the Russian forces and forcing them to abandon the city, the American weapons were very effective in debilitating Russia’s ability to command and resupply its forces. And the air defense systems provided by the United States and our allies have helped Ukraine shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones launched by Russia that otherwise would have killed innocent civilians. I do continue to believe that we can and should do more, by the way.
“Particularly with regard to military assistance. I continue to urge the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with more of the weapons that the Ukrainians themselves have said they actually want and need and can use. This would include fourth generation advanced fighter jets. Not the latest and greatest but things like F-16s that we’re not using that they could use that we could allow them to provide to Ukraine. Abrams tanks that other countries have that they’re willing to provide. Long range missiles. If we’re serious about helping Ukraine continue to win, as opposed to the possibility that this could just result in a stalemate, we should provide these weapons so that they can respond to the very real Russian threat.
“Let me pose this question to my colleagues who are skeptical about assistance: if we had not led our allies in supporting Ukraine during this fight for survival what would have happened? What would have happened if we allowed this authoritarian regime to dominate and subjugate its neighbors by force of arms? Ukraine would have become an occupied state. Many more refugees by the millions would have fled to Europe, to the United States, and elsewhere. Even if the threat by Vladimir Putin to occupy all these other independent countries in the neighborhood were, that were once part of the Soviet Union had not yet become a reality, the U.S. would have mobilized thousands of troops and massive amounts of weapons at the borders of these NATO allies at a tremendous cost to the American taxpayer.
“I think we have to think about that. Think about what the alternative would have been. It also would have resulted, of course, in the rules-based international order that we had in place for almost 80 years, since World War II, crumbling in Ukraine. What would have happened then? What message would aggressive adversaries like China and Iran take from that? The world would become a much more dangerous and volatile place. Let’s be honest. Countries would have armed up. This is why it is so important that we continue to support Ukraine. Our enemies and our adversaries alike are watching very carefully. We can’t pull back now, not during this critical time. We cannot falter. In addition to working with our allies to help Ukraine win on the battlefield, we have got to continue to tighten the global sanctions and export controls on Russia.
“I believe it is only that combination, success on the battlefield, and making Russia’s economy feel the pain that is going to be successful at getting Russia to the peace table. Export controls already are blocking supplies, including semiconductors, needed to create military equipment in Russia. So that’s having an effect. Sanctions must include better success at stopping the energy receipts to Russia that are fueling the war machine. I mentioned what’s happening to the Ukrainian economy, the Russian economy has also gone down but not nearly as much as the Ukrainian economy. Why? Largely because the economy depends on the energy receipts that are still coming in from Russia selling its oil and gas around the world. This week, there was some progress on that front.
“Back in June, the European Union decided to end all seaborne Russian imports, by December 5th, that was Monday and the E.U. did indeed followed through on this promise. I applaud the European Union for taking that step. However, in June the E.U. also committed to end financing and insuring services for all vessels carrying Russian oil, even to non-European countries. This will be devastating to Russia oil exports since Europe dominates a large part of the maritime services market. Financing and insurance. Without financing and insurance from Europe, these ships would never embark and Russian oil sales will plummet. Unfortunately, in this case the E.U. did not follow through on this promise made in June. Instead on Friday the E.U., the United States, other G-7 countries, and Australia agreed to what is being called a price-cap scheme.
“Under this framework, participating countries will continue to provide financing and insurance for vessels selling Russian oil, but only below a certain cost per barrel. So instead of ending the sales, we are enabling them at a lower price. What’s more, as the Washington Post reports, the “price cap” that was agreed to – $60 per barrel – is and I quote the Washington Post, ‘well below Russia’s cost of production and close to where its oil is currently trading — meaning it may not have much of a direct impact.’ That’s my concern about it. I understand that there is another argument that the Russian oil price would perhaps be even higher at lower volumes if they didn’t have these ships.
“But I think the first plan made in June would have been much more effective at helping to tighten these sanctions. Analysts, by the way, say that the cap will have little immediate impact on oil revenues that Moscow is currently earning. In fact, Russia itself said that the cap will not hurt the financing of his special military operation as they call it in Ukraine, this deadly and unprovoked war. The price cap is quote ‘an unhappy compromise that will do very little to cut Russia’s oil revenue’ from current levels, said Ben Cahill, an energy security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here in Washington.
“I would ask the suffering people in Ukraine what they think about it. Ukraine, Poland ,and the Baltic States who have consistently been right about the threat of Russian aggression, suggested a price cap of just $30 a barrel if they were going to do a price cap. So, half of the $60 that the E.U., the U.S., the G-7, and Australia ended up at. The one we agreed, again, was twice as high. On a more positive note, at a meeting in Romania last week, the Secretary General reaffirmed that NATO’s door for membership remains open for Ukraine.
“This has been NATO’s official policy for Ukraine by the way since 2008, but it was important the alliance reaffirm that last week in the context of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. I encourage NATO to begin the steps to welcome Ukraine in the future, despite all the atrocities and hardships we have talked about tonight, I believe that Ukraine will eventually prevail in this conflicted and survive as a country and Ukraine will join NATO and the European Union to have the most important security guarantees they could get. No amount of Russian missiles can stop that by the way because the people of Ukraine will always have something that Russia does not: freedom and faith. Faith is what our founding fathers had so many years ago when they set out on a risky journey to chart America’s own destiny, faith that freedom would work.
“Faith is what the Ukrainian people grasped on to as they embarked on their own Revolution of Dignity in 2014 abandoning a corrupt Russian-backed regime, choosing freedom, democracy and free markets. Ukraine chose to stand with us, with the European Union and the United States and other free nations. Faith is what gave the people of Ukraine the strength and resolve at the beginning of Russia’s overwhelming invasion in February, faith that as a country that they would survive and as a people they would come out the other end of this conflict when the odds were so stacked against them more unified than ever. Against all odds, again, that faith has been justified time and time again during this bloody war. Now, once again, it’s time for us to join our allies in keeping the faith. Faith in the proven Ukrainian bravery and perseverance and faith that freedom will win out over tyranny if we stay the course. Thank you, and I yield the floor.”
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