Rob Portman: “this is the fourth time I have come to the floor of the Senate in the past month to talk about the crisis in Ukraine and…”

“this is the fourth time I have come to the floor of the Senate in the past month to talk about the crisis in Ukraine and to talk about what we can do here in the U.S. Congress to try to help the great people of Ukraine. Today, I come to the floor to express my solidarity with the courageous people of Ukraine, who, as we speak, are under attack in Kyiv and Kharkiv, and in so many other cities and towns throughout Ukraine. Russia's attack on Ukraine is a brutal, unprovoked invasion of a democracy--an ally and a sovereign nation. It must not be allowed to stand or it will create a precedent that unravels the international order that has kept the peace in Europe for nearly 80 years. Earlier today, Senator Durbin and I organized a meeting of the Ukraine Caucus. We are the cochairs. We had Ambassador Markarova come, who is the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States. Along with her came a member of the Rada, their Parliament, who happened to be in the United States when the attack began. They spoke with emotion about their country, about what they needed--Stinger missiles, Javelin missiles--to be able to fight against superior Russian air power and Russian tanks. But they also spoke with compassion about the people of Ukraine, about the sacrifice and the courage that they are showing.…”