Representatives respond to Zelenskyy’s address to Congress
Butler County’s representatives in Washington D.C. responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Wednesday virtual address to Congress with messages of support and encouragement to do more for Ukraine.
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, said in a statement that President Zelenskyy “has proven to me, and to the world, that more must be done to combat Russia's unprovoked attacks on the Ukrainian people.”
“The video he displayed during this morning's address was incredibly moving; Russia's brutal bombings and murder of innocent people have been deplorable,” Kelly wrote. “As the U.S. considers its next steps, we must do so not alone, but together with our NATO allies. The free world must continue to proactively oppose Russian aggression both in Ukraine and around the globe."
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said in a statement that the American people stand with Ukraine.
“President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people’s bravery and resolve has shown the world that Ukraine will do everything they can to stand up to Putin,” Toomey wrote. “But today, President Zelenskyy once again made clear that the Ukrainian people need our help, including by ensuring ‘the Russians do not receive a single penny’ to fund the killing of Ukrainians.”
He encouraged the country to impose secondary sanctions on “the entirety of Russia’s financial sector.”
“These sanctions would effectively prohibit foreign banks anywhere in the world, under the threat of U.S. sanctions, from making payments to Russian banks, including for oil and gas,” he wrote. “Stopping these funds from flowing to Putin’s war machine is a critical lifeline for the Ukrainian people.”
On Twitter, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-17th, responded to Zelenskyy’s references to moments of crisis in United States history, including that of the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11, 2001.
“President Zelenskyy’s appeal to our history is a powerful reminder: Just like us, Ukrainians want to govern themselves and will die before that right is taken away,” Lamb wrote in a Tweet. “Everywhere that democracy is under attack, we have to defend it with even greater force. We can do more and we will.”
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., also wrote on Twitter after hearing the address, and described Zelenskyy as “speak(ing) clearly and eloquently about Putin's brutality and outlin(ing) the support he needs from the world.”
“The United States stands by the Ukrainian people and we will work with our allies to support their needs,” Casey wrote.
U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-15th, tweeted his support for the Ukrainian people later in the afternoon on Wednesday.
“This morning, President Zelenskyy delivered a powerful message to Congress,” he wrote. “In the face of evil, the Ukrainian people are strong. We must continue to give them the aid and arms they need to fight Putin.”
