Leader Schumer Floor Remarks In Support Of Democratic Resolutions To Stand Up For Democracy And Defend Ukraine In Response To President Trump’s Lies

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor in support of Senators Sanders (I-VT), Bennet (D-CO), Van Hollen (D-MD), Durbin (D-IL), Blumenthal (D-CT), and Welch (D-VT) as they each attempted to pass resolutions by unanimous consent to condemn Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and reemphasize the United States’ support for Ukraine and western democracy. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

First, I want to thank my colleagues for bringing these five resolutions to the floor. I want to thank Senator Sanders for taking the lead on this issue, as well as Senators Bennet, Van Hollen, Durbin, Blumenthal, and Welch.

Let us start by speaking some much-needed truth.

Three years ago, Vladimir Putin brought war and destruction to the people of Ukraine. He started the war – not any mythology that comes from Donald Trump or our Republican colleagues. Vladimir Putin started the war, full stop.

His tanks and air strikes have obliterated homes and schools.

His troops slaughtered civilians, as a way to win territory in Ukraine.

His troops have kidnapped children.

The people of Ukraine did not ask for this war.

President Zelenskyy did not start this war. Putin did.

That is the truth of this. But lie after lie after lie comes out of the Trump Administration.

This is one of the most egregious lies, because the people of Ukraine have struggled. President Zelenskyy has led them valiantly, risking his own life.

And now the nerve of Donald Trump and others say that Zelenskyy started the war.

Donald Trump is trying to rewrite history and gain favor with Vladimir Putin.

He blames Ukraine for starting the war, and now he is shutting off military aid that Ukraine desperately needs on the battlefield. They desperately need it, and we need to restore it.

He has frozen critical intelligence sharing between our countries.

He has allowed Putin to launch cyber operations against us, here in the United States. That jeopardizes the privacy of American citizens.

He has frozen intelligence sharing between our countries, and he has brought President Zelenskyy to the Oval office only to lecture and insult him in front of the whole world.

And guess who was laughing as he watched: Vladimir Putin.  

To side with Putin is to put America at risk. My Democratic colleagues will make that clear over the next several hours.

To side with Putin is to betray the values that define America, values our troops have died for in battlefields across the world, from Gettysburg to Normandy and Iwo Jima.

The Senate must respond. Democrats and Republicans have done so before. I worked with then-Leader McConnell to get Ukraine the desperately-needed aid.

Today’s resolutions affirm very basic, bipartisan ideas  that hopefully still remain with our Republican colleagues: that the U.S. Senate stands with democracy.

That we stand with the brave people of Ukraine.

And that we stand against the dictator – the brutal dictator – Vladimir Putin and his war crimes.

History is clear, perfectly clear: appeasing autocrats is like putting out a fire with kerosene. In the long run, it will only make autocracy more powerful, and the citizenry of America less safe.

That is why today the Senate must speak in once voice – Democrats and Republicans together – and pass these resolutions. I hope that is what happens.

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