Joni Ernst: “Folks, last week, President Trump showed the world that American leadership is back. He brought home the last living…”

“Folks, last week, President Trump showed the world that American leadership is back. He brought home the last living American hostage, delivering Edan Alexander from Iran-backed Hamas and reuniting him to his family after nearly 600 days. He stood with our partners in the Middle East to strength the historic Abraham Accords. And he delivered a strong message to Vladimir Putin: End the war. Today, I stand in support of a sovereign Ukraine and echo the President's call to Putin to stop this bloodbath that never should have happened. This is an issue that not only affects a close partner under siege but also the strength of the United States of America and the security of the free world. Let's be clear here, folks: China is watching; so are Iran and North Korea. And, of course, Vladimir Putin is watching too. They call it the 'new axis of evil' for a reason. I personally witnessed and experienced the growth of the U.S.- Ukrainian relationship when I visited Ukraine, in its waning days of Soviet control, as part of an agricultural student exchange program. This was in 1989.”