Peter Welch: “Thank you, and I thank my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, for coming to the floor today in support of our…”

“Thank you, and I thank my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, for coming to the floor today in support of our continued support for Ukraine. I was heartened to hear today that President Zelenskyy is on board with the U.S. ceasefire proposal. That is good news. It does highlight that President Zelenskyy has shown time and again that he is always willing to negotiate for peace. Putin has always been the aggressor. And that is why I believe we must stand with Ukraine. You know, the question before us today--whether we will continue to stand with Ukraine--has immense implications for the security of the United States, of our European allies, and of world peace. These are critical questions to get right: Should the United States stand by our 80-year-old security commitments in Europe? Should the United States stand behind the rules-based order established in the aftermath of the catastrophic World War II or should we abandon those rules despite the fact that they have served our national security interests for so long? Those are the questions. You know, in the aftermath of the horrors of World War II, in which more than 80 million people died, the United States did establish alliances and security commitments in Europe and determined that this was the way to avoid a World War III--investments in NATO, Armed Forces in Europe, and European democracy and economic prosperity.…”