Sheila Jackson Lee: “I rise with a very heavy heart and an overwhelming sense of sadness, anguish, and anger that should, however, be…”

“I rise with a very heavy heart and an overwhelming sense of sadness, anguish, and anger that should, however, be utilized to save lives. I traveled with the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe with my colleagues, Congressmen Cohen, Hudson, Wilson, Aderholt, and Veasey. We started out, most of us, on Sunday with the intent to go into the Ukraine region, and we did, all with optimism that this war would not be, that we could engage in discussions with parliamentarians and heads of state and that Putin would listen to reason of the 21st century. Upon arriving, we unfortunately heard the distorted, confused, and absolutely rejected message of the Soviet Union, and how the history suggests that countries like Ukraine were not independent, they were simply part of the old Soviet Union. Madam Speaker, you are aware of the fact that generations now living in democratic countries like Lithuania have no knowledge of the old Soviet Union. Congratulations to leaders like Gorbachev and Yeltsin who believed that their duty was to bring Russia into the 21st century. We remember the words of Ronald Reagan: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall. How in the world can Putin now come to represent that he, riding in on a fancy horse, maybe even shirtless, is going to now dominate violently, bringing these countries to their knees and for them to reject what they have come to love, and that is democracy?…”