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Floor Speech
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Mr. GRAHAM. Well, thank you. All I can say is, Sheldon, thank you.
John is no longer with us, but I think he is here in spirit at this moment. If Senator McCain were here, there would be 27 MiGs they would want to transfer because he would probably be in one, headed for Ukraine.
The bottom line is, 20 days into this fight, we are all amazed at how bad the Russians are doing and how well the Ukrainians are doing. And I think what Senator Whitehouse is trying to remind us all of is that the outcome of Ukraine really does matter to the world at large.
Senator McCain was known for his support of the transatlantic alliance, a rules-based society, a values-based world, and Putin has put that in jeopardy.
So let's look at it this way. If Putin wins, Sheldon, then the largest war criminal in the 21st century survives the dismemberment of a neighboring democracy, slaughter of the innocents on a mass scale. If he is still standing, I think China understands what to do with Taiwan more clearly; the Iranians are more bold when it comes to their nuclear ambitions; and the ripple effect in Asia and the Middle East will be felt if Putin wins.
Now, if Putin loses and Ukraine wins--victory for Ukraine--I think it would be the biggest change for the good since World War II. What would it mean? It would mean that a murderous war criminal who tried to use force of arms to impose his will on his neighbor lost. It would mean that the good guys won and the bad guys lost, and China would have to think twice about Taiwan.
How do we make sure victory for Ukraine is maximized? Only God knows how this ends, but here is what I think we can do in working together, with three lines of effort:
Economic and military aid. We have had a very robust package leave the Congress. The President announced $800 million more in military aid today. We have a difference about the MiGs, but otherwise we are pretty much on the same sheet of music.
Sanctions against Russia. The war is not against the Russian people. They are in many ways victims of Putin as much as anybody. Unfortunately, the only way we can bring this to a conclusion and have victory for Ukraine is to crush the Russian economy, so secondary sanctions need to be on the table. Then, if China comes to Putin's aid, they need to understand the consequences of that decision.
So we are all in on sanctions, and secondary sanctions are now in play. The Ukrainian Ambassador asked me yesterday to broaden the sanctions to Russian officials in different regions that are part of Putin's war machine. President Zelenskyy asked for that today, too.
My good friend Sheldon Whitehouse has been speaking about victory when nobody else hardly will, and I am here to say that victory for Ukraine is victory for America; it is victory for the rule of law; and it is victory for the post-World War II order that has led to historic prosperity.
Three lines of effort: military assistance, including MiGs; economic aid--fuel, food, humanitarian airlift if that is feasible; crushing sanctions; labeling Putin the war criminal that he is; and letting every Russian military commander know that, if you pick his side and you carry out these war crimes against the Ukrainian people, we are coming after you.
Senator Whitehouse and myself met with the British Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to create a joint effort, an intel cell, to collect information about Russian units engaged in war crimes in Ukraine and start putting the commander's name out for the world to understand so they will know that we are watching them.
How does this end? The Russian people end the reign of terror in Putin. It is in their hands. I encourage them to do it.
Finally, if there has been one voice on kleptocracy, it is Sheldon's. He has got it on climate change. He is determined to see that issue through to the end, but Senator Whitehouse was talking about kleptocracy long before the invasion. So we are introducing together the Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act, which is an effort by our government, joining with international partners, to get every yacht we can get, raid every bank account we can find, take the money away from the thieves, and give it back to the Ukrainian people and eventually to the Russian people.
What Senator Whitehouse and I are trying to do in a bipartisan fashion is to make the war real to the oligarchs. Without the oligarchs, there is no Putin. It is time for them to enjoy the experience of having their assets that they stole taken away from them. ``Enjoy'' is maybe not the right word. It is time for us to enjoy the sight of Russian oligarchs having their property taken that they achieved through thievery. It is time for us to start putting people in jail who engaged in the mass theft of the Russian people.
Victory for Ukraine is possible, I think, if we are all in on sanctions, if we are all in on labeling, naming, and shaming people around Putin as war criminals in order to break their will, and if we begin to pour it on when it comes to regaining control of the skies.
I am not for a NATO no-fly zone because I think that would put us in a situation with NATO and Russia that I am not comfortable with right now, but I am for Ukraine controlling their skies, a no-fly zone enforced by the Ukrainian military. That is why I want more anti- aircraft systems and the MiGs.
The bottom line here is that victory for Ukraine is possible because I think the Russian people and the Russian military are really not into this. I think the world is coalescing around the idea that if Putin wins, it is bad for us all. Now is the time. This is the most historically significant moment since the end of World War II for the continent of Europe and for freedom itself and for the rule of law.
If we can pull this off, then those who come after us will be very pleased with our efforts. If we fail, future generations will wonder ``What the hell were you doing?'' just like we all wonder how Hitler could have gotten so strong and nobody stopped him when they could have.
Let it be said in this moment of history that Senator Whitehouse, Senator Graham, and many others, particularly the Ukrainian people, believe not only is victory for Ukraine possible, it is absolutely necessary.
With that, I turn it back over to my colleague.
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