- March 23, 2022
Sen. Marshall: The Ukrainian People Don’t Need Words. They Need Action.
(Washington, D.C., March 23, 2022) – Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. spoke on the Senate floor, urging President Biden to step up as the leader of the free world and provide Ukraine with life-saving aid to combat Russia’s persistent attacks immediately. During the speech, Senator Marshall said in part,
“The Ukrainian people don’t need speeches, they don’t need words, they don’t need resolutions, they don’t need Americans forming committees and praying about it. They need more than our prayers. They need action… The Ukrainians can win this war. There is a path to victory. I believe in them, but the world has to step up…We are doing so little of what we could be doing… We are still the leader of the free world. We need to start acting like it.”
You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Senator Marshall’s remarks:
Senator Marshall’s Remarks as Prepared:
Madam President. I want to first begin by saying thank you to Senator Ernst for organizing the trip and for bringing this group of bipartisan senators together for this important CODEL.
Last weekend, we saw the best in mankind.
Polish people have shown love and compassion to their Ukrainian neighbors.
- Half of the Polish people have opened their homes to Ukrainians.
- Refugee center processed almost 1 million people in 2 weeks’ time.
Last weekend we also witnessed the worst of mankind in the criminal war of Putin.
One Ukrainian woman – Olena – who I spoke with said,
“The Russians are attacking Ukraine from the north, from the east, and the south. With their missiles, they can reach every place of our country – there is no safe place in Ukraine any more. Everything can be targeted: hospitals, kindergartens, maternity wards, hospitals, everything.”
Another Ukrainian – Daria – said,
“In the city of Mariupol: Almost every single building was hit by a Russian bomb or Russian missile. People are residing in bomb shelters. They are cut from electricity. They are cut from aid, food, and from water. They are melting snow to drink water. Russians are deliberately throwing bombs into hospitals. There is only one hospital remaining. One of the hospitals was a maternity hospital – men were trying to evacuate a woman who was in labor and she died with her unborn baby. Another pregnant woman – her name was Mariana – was going down the stairs. She survived. She gave birth. They don’t have food now to feed the mother. I don’t know if the baby girl is still alive. There are thousands of people dead, but it’s impossible to bury them. The bodies – it’s a horror movie which is happening – people are dead on the streets.”
The stories are heart wrenching. And, there is no doubt the world needs to step up – Europe needs to step up.
That said, there is so much more that the U.S. can do short of boots on the ground.
This didn’t start on February 24th when Russia invaded.
Olena said the weakness of the U.S. started much earlier. She said,
“Since the beginning of November we’ve been shouting out loud to help arm Ukraine, sanction Nord Stream 2 – why did the U.S. lift sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and basically give the green light for Putin to move forward in Ukraine? We clearly warned that that might happen – we were not heard.”
Earlier this month the Ukrainians said that they met with Secretary Blinken and that they begged him to please send air defense systems now.
Two weeks later, they still don’t have them.
I asked them to describe to me what they need to win this war.
Their answer was simple: maximum military assistance as it relates to weapons including MiGs, A-10s, javelins, stingers, drones.
One Polish woman told me,
“We were ready as Poland to give these MiGs. But the Biden Administration didn’t want us to provide them. And what happened – instead of consulting us – the Biden Administration decided to go public without the Polish government even knowing that this was the case.”
One of the Ukrainians even went so far as to say she wanted to steal the MiGs because there is “just no other option.”
Madam President, this war was completely preventable had the U.S. projected strength. The indecisiveness of this Administration and the fact that they gave up our strategic advantages led to this war.
Let this be a lesson to us going forward. If we are to stop China from even thinking about invading Taiwan, we need to project strength now.
Not after the fact.
The United States can lead more. President Zelensky has begged the United States to lead more. But this Administration is following in the footsteps of President Obama in leading from behind.
They have been slow to react every step of the way.
Madam President, this is a Cruise missile that the Ukrainians showed us during one of our meetings. They said that Russia launched this on one of the days after President Biden said what NATO will not do to help Ukraine.
This is the very telegraphing that has yet again proved to be deadly. As the Ukrainians pointed out to us, this is what led to the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. In their words – not mine – they say this Administration is operating under what they call “Afghanistan syndrome.”
Mr./Madam President, the Ukrainian people don’t need speeches, they don’t need words, they don’t need resolutions, they don’t need PR campaigns. They need ACTION:
- War tribunal – Putin and his generals
- World needs to seize assets
- Use his personal assets to build back Ukraine
- World needs to stop doing business with Russia
- U.S. needs to implement sanctions YESTERDAY – not June 24th like Biden’s ban on Russian oil
- All nations need to inflict maximum economic damage on Putin
- U.S. needs to send military aid YESTERDAY – MiGs, A-10s, Stingers, etc.
We don’t need to debate it. We don’t need to talk about the pros and the cons. Get them the damn weapons. The brave Ukrainian people will use them. They will fight to the death, but they have to be empowered to do that.
America should be proud of our military – they are doing incredible work to assure allies and deter Russian aggression against NATO.
Mr./Madam President, if there is one thing that’s for sure, it’s that the Ukrainian people will fight to the death.
In Poland, Olena and Daria told me just before we departed,
“America is the leader of NATO. Every NATO country is looking at what America is doing and not doing. What America is saying and what America is not saying. We know there are NATO countries here on the border who have weapons which we need but they simply need back up from America. We will win this war. But, at which price will we win this war? Help us win it at the price of less casualty. That’s what we are asking the United States.”
Madam President, the Ukrainians can win this war. There is a path to victory, but the world has to step up. We are only doing a fraction of what we could be doing.
To whom much is given, much will be required.
The U.S. has been given so much. We are still the leader of the free world.
We need to start acting like it.
Thank you Madam President. I yield back.
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