Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself whatever time I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support of H. Res. 499, a resolution that condemns the recent violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia. I want to begin by thanking Chairman Royce for his leadership on this issue, as well as Ranking Member Engel, and for their introducing this resolution. As the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats, I, along with Leader Pelosi and Whip Hoyer and my colleagues on the Ukrainian Caucus and the Foreign Affairs Committee, have watched the developments in Ukraine with concern, particularly over the last 9 months. Long before the Vilnius Summit and then-President Yanukovych's surprise announcement in November that he would not sign an Association Agreement with the EU, our administration noted with concern the pressure exerted over Ukrainian authorities to act against the interests of their own people. It began with Russian threats of trade embargo and gas supply cutoffs in Ukraine if they signed the Association Agreement. After peaceful demonstrators took to the streets in subzero temperatures, chilling cold, risking their own well-being in Kiev to protest the decision, Russia threatened to withhold billions of dollars in promised financial assistance if Yanukovych did not crack down on it.…”