Marcy Kaptur: “Today, I stand with the long-suffering people of Ukraine. Theirs is a valiant fight to reclaim their territory, their…”

“Today, I stand with the long-suffering people of Ukraine. Theirs is a valiant fight to reclaim their territory, their sovereignty, their security, and their destiny. Vladimir Putin brutally invaded 11 years ago with no provocation. Russia must be pushed back inside its own borders, and today, Secretary of Defense Hegseth stood on territory freed by 400,000 American soldiers, whose graves mark liberty's greatest victory over tyranny across Europe. Their sacrifice birthed the free world. General Omar Bradley, one of our Nation's most beloved and great generals, created NATO. He would have been astounded at what Hegseth did in stating: It is unrealistic for Ukraine to return to its pre-2014 borders. Why would Hegseth take Russia's side with its war criminals and murderous plunder of a free people? Why would he do that? Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has consistently emphasized Ukraine's position that no peace negotiations with Russia are possible before the complete restoration of Ukraine's stolen territory and return to Ukraine's 1991 internationally recognized borders. The free world must achieve that. ____________________”