Rob Portman: “I come to the floor, again today, to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. This is the seventh week in a row I…”

“I come to the floor, again today, to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. This is the seventh week in a row I have come out here to talk about the atrocities being committed by Russia and what more the United States and this Congress can do to support Ukraine in its fight for survival. It has now been more than a month since Russia's assault on our ally Ukraine, an independent sovereign democracy, a democracy that just wants to live in peace. Earlier today, Russia continued its cowardly and brutal bombing attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine. Some civilians, like those trapped in and surrounding Mariupol, are dying due to a lack of access to water and food. Russia continues its assault on humanitarian corridors which are designed to allow safe passage for civilians fleeing the conflict and for lifesaving humanitarian aid to come in to those who can't get out. You may recall the theater in Mariupol, where people were taking refuge in the basement and using it as a bomb shelter. The words ``children'' in Russian were emblazed with huge letters clear enough to see from the sky so that it would not be a target, but it was. We just learned Friday that roughly 300 Ukrainian civilians were killed in that basement when the theater was hit by Russian bombs about a week ago--mostly women and children. Vladimir Putin's war has resulted in death and destruction not seen in Europe since World War II. Thousands of civilians have been killed.…”