Ukraine

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, before we leave Washington, I want to make a few comments about the war in Ukraine.

Our allies in Ukraine are fighting like tigers against a Russian invasion that is without foundation, that is illegal under international law and is one of the most brutal acts of war in the 21st century--maybe in any century.

I just want to let the Ukrainian people know that the American people are with you in your struggle for freedom.

There have been some comments made by folks whom I respect talking about the need to end this war, where Ukraine has to recognize certain parts of their territory as actually Russian territory. I cannot disagree more. Any effort to impose upon Ukraine a ceasefire that leads to a peace agreement where they have to give territory to Russia is not ending a war; it will be starting new wars.

Have we learned nothing from the last century? Appeasing Putin in Ukraine makes him want more, not less. We found that to be true in the 1930s with Hitler in Germany.

So this idea that Ukraine needs to come to the table and give up Ukrainian land to Putin makes zero sense to me. All the people who have been fighting in Ukraine would have died in vain. And that line of reasoning I reject completely.

Here is the state of play: Due to the commitment of the Ukrainian people to fight for their freedom and their homeland, Russia has just been delivered a mighty blow. Their army is in decline. They just changed their laws so that the limitation on service from 18 to 40 now has been lifted. There was a 63-year-old retired general fighter pilot shot down in Ukraine, a Russian general. All I can say is that the Ukrainians have met their end of the bargain.

This body, expressing the will of the American people, passed a $40 billion aid package. That is a lot of money, but you either pay now or later when it comes to Putin. I am convinced, along with most of my colleagues here, that if Putin is successful in Ukraine, he only goes further; he never stops. His words, not mine--he wants to reconstruct the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire, whatever you would like to call it. There are other nations in his crosshairs.

So the battle in Ukraine will stabilize Europe if it is done right. If the battle in Ukraine ends where Putin feels like he got away with mass war crimes and was able to get territory by force of arms, he will not stop. China will, surely as I am speaking, have a green light to go into Taiwan.

So those who argue that we need to end this war by giving Ukrainian territory to Putin, you are starting another war in Asia, most likely. You are going to create a larger appetite for Putin, and I think you have lost the lessons of the last century.

We have much to understand about the nature of this war. We have Russian diplomats resigning in protest. We have people at concerts shouting some pretty vulgar things about the war. You have a Russian military that is under siege in terms of manning. The more weapons we provide to the Ukrainians, the more lethal they become on the battlefield, the more likely this war ends on favorable terms.

So I just want to remind the American people as we go into this holiday, remember those who sacrificed for our freedom. There is a hot war in Europe.

It is 2022. Did anybody really believe after the fall of the Berlin Wall that we would be having a war with Russia in Europe trying to take over a sovereign country called Ukraine? Well, that is where we are, and I guess one thing to learn about mankind is that the calendar may change, but there is a dark side of mankind--powerful people trying to push the less powerful around; people trying to take things through force of arms rather than the rule of law.

So I want the Ukrainian people to know that I am with you. I think most Americans are with you. We don't want you to entice Putin to go beyond Ukraine by surrendering your territory. We stand with you. Not 1 inch of Ukrainian territory should be given to Putin because he chose force of arms. The rule of law versus the rule of guns is at stake. I am hoping that we will send you more lethal weapons, not less, that we will increase your capability to inflict pain on the Russian military.

I do believe that people in Russia are beginning to understand that, with Putin, they have a very limited future; that if you continue to support Putin, the world will isolate you further; that we are not going to forgive and forget the war crimes.

NATO is getting bigger. Finland and Sweden have applied to NATO. I have talked to our friends in Turkey. I hope we can resolve that.

So it would be wonderful in the next coming weeks here that the Senate, in fast fashion, could include two more members of NATO; that everything Putin wanted has backfired; that the Ukrainian nation still stands; that NATO is bigger not smaller; that war crimes investigations move forward, they don't stall.

In the International Criminal Court, Mr. Khan is doing a good job of gathering evidence against Russian atrocities committed by Russian military leaders and Russian forces, all under the control of Putin, and I just encourage that effort to go further. Ukrainian courts have convicted a Russian soldier of murder, a war crime.

So what I would like to see is the Western world, the democratic world, reinforce our commitment to Ukraine, not talk about having to give Putin territory to end this war, because that is not the way to end the war; that is a way to expand the war.

If we can end this through diplomatic means, great, but what should be off the table is rewarding Putin for this invasion. What should be on the table is a commitment to Ukraine. As long as they are willing to fight, as long as they are willing to fight for their freedom and die for their territory, we should help them, because Putin won't stop with Ukraine if he is successful.

The blood and treasure that we have spent since 9/11 has been tough for our country, but not one American soldier is on the ground in Ukraine. They are not asking for soldiers; they are only asking for the ability to defend themselves--economic assistance, military assistance.

I do not want to let the pressure off Putin. Senator Risch and Senator Menendez--the chairman, Senator Menendez, of the Foreign Relations Committee--are considering marking up legislation urging the Biden administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. So let's keep the pressure on Putin. Let's let the Russian people know that, as long as Putin is your leader, you will be isolated from the international community, your economy can't grow, and there are going to be more and more young Russians killed in this folly.

I would urge the Russian people to change course here. Pick a new leader. The world will embrace Russia. Russia is a land of many talented people, with a long rich history.

I am hoping and praying that the freedom-loving world will not make the mistakes in 2022 that we made in 1932, that we made in 1937 and 1938 where we thought the way to end the war was to appease a brutal dictator. That is not the way to end a war; that is the way to continue wars and make them bigger.

So, as for me, I will do everything in my power to help the Ukrainian people as a Member of the U.S. Senate. I will do everything in my power to hold Putin accountable. I will do everything in my power, working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues, to isolate Putin's Russia.

This is a difficult time for the world. If he fails in Ukraine, if the Russian people rise up and change course, the world will be a lot better off. If he succeeds, God help us all because the worst is yet to come.

No problem here at home gets better by turning our back on Ukraine and not holding Putin accountable. Whatever problems we have at the border, with inflation, gas prices, all the domestic violence here at home, none of those problems get better if Putin wins in Ukraine.

Here is the good news for the American people: The Ukrainian people are not asking for our young men and women to fight and die in Ukraine; they are only asking for our help. They need arms. They need weapons. They need economic assistance. If we will continue to show our resolve--the Western world--Putin will lose and the people of Ukraine will win. Now is not the time to put on the table capitulation.

So to everybody, I hope you have a safe Memorial Day. I look forward to coming back after the break to see if we can find a pathway forward on commonsense gun reforms. Between now and then, let's keep the people of Ukraine in our prayers.

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