Sen. Marshall on Ukraine Aid: Get Them The Damn Weapons

(Washington, D.C., March 21, 2022) – Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. joined a group of bipartisan colleagues at a press conference on their recent trip to Germany and Poland to gain a greater understanding of Ukraine and NATO readiness as Russia’s attacks on the Ukrainian people persist. During the press conference, Senator Marshall said in part,

“I think the Ukrainians can win this war. I do see a path to victory, but the world has to step up. We are only doing a fraction of what we could be doing… We don’t need to debate it. We don’t need to talk about the pros and the cons. Get them the damn weapons. People will use them. They will fight to the death, but they have to be empowered to do that.”

You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Senator Marshall’s remarks:

You may click HERE on the image below for b-roll from Senator Marshall’s trip to Germany and Poland:

Background:

The bipartisan delegation engaged with military leaders from United States Army Europe-Africa (USAREUR-AF) in Wiesbaden, Germany about the United States’ and NATO alliances’ commitment to freedom over tyranny.

From there, the delegation met with U.S. officials in Berlin at the U.S. Embassy to get an up-to-date brief on American-German long-term economic and security cooperation goals.

In Berlin, the group of bipartisan senators discussed our continued security partnership with German State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office Andreas Michaelis. The members met with German Parliamentarians over dinner in Berlin.

The next day, the senators had a security briefing with leaders from the 82^nd Airborne Division stationed in Poland and learned more about their efforts to assist and deter Russia from further aggression. The military leaders then led a roundtable discussion with the senators, NATO allied military leaders, and non-government organizations (NGOs) helping with the humanitarian needs in Ukraine and throughout Europe. 

The bipartisan delegation then went on a visit to a refugee processing center near the Ukrainian-Polish border where they saw firsthand how organizations are working with the Polish military and government to care for Ukrainians who have fled their homes. Included in the visit was a meeting with volunteers from the World Central Kitchen who are helping feed the millions of refugees coming through this facility.

The final stop in Poland was a discussion with members of Ukrainian civil society. This included a group of passionate women who provided a clear message to the senators: Ukraine needs more military and lethal aid to win this fight. Included in the meeting were State Department officials originally stationed at Embassy Kyiv.

On the last day of the CODEL, the 10 senators visited a U.S. Army base in Grafenwohr, Germany. They received a firsthand briefing of the military mission, met with constituents from each of the states represented on the CODEL, and saw the might of the U.S. Army in action.

The bipartisan CODEL returned to the United States late on Sunday, March 20.

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