Political Quotes

“I come to the floor today to once again talk about Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine. Before I do, though, I want to pause for a minute and honor the lives lost in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine, knocked down by Russian and Russian-backed separatists. This week marks the eighth anniversary of that tragedy. All 238 passengers and 15 crew were killed. This eighth anniversary is a reminder that Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine didn't just start this spring. Eight years ago, the people of Ukraine made a courageous choice. They said that they were going to stand up to a corrupt Russian-backed regime. And when they did that, Russia responded by invading their country, taking Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula but also territory here in what is called the Donbas. So this is not new. For almost 9 years, the people of Ukraine have been fighting this war with Russia. More recently, of course, the invasion was even more devastating. So I join Bridget Brink, who is our new U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, who said: [We] honor the memories of those killed eight years ago-- even as missiles continue to fall on Mykolaiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities, killing civilians and demonstrating the Kremlin's disregard for international law and human life.'' She is right. Ambassador Brink said it right. The civilian toll in this war is devastating.…”