WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mark Warner (D-Va.), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman, Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, issued the following statement in response to a reported deal the Trump administration proposed to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that would require heavy Ukrainian concessions:
“The United States is safer and stronger when democracies like Ukraine are free, stable, and strong enough to deter our adversaries. The deal President Trump is forcing on Ukraine calls on Ukraine and NATO allies to make major concessions or risk losing American support. It goes so far as to hand Russia substantial territory it has not been able to take on the battlefield thanks to the bravery of the Ukrainian forces. This deal will not create a just and lasting peace. It will leave Ukraine vulnerable, Europe unstable, and America weaker. It will not end the war in Eastern Europe. It will only give Russia time to rebuild and rearm before coming back for the rest of Ukraine and then setting its sights on NATO allies.
“President Trump needs to work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress alongside our partners in Ukraine and NATO allies to find a lasting solution that will make Americans and the world safer.
“We support the cause of peace in Ukraine. Ukraine must emerge as a free, sovereign state with the ability to defend itself and deter Russia, and President Putin must learn that aggression does not pay. Ukraine should not be forced into accepting this dangerous proposal, and Congress must make unmistakably clear that we stand firmly against it.
“Let us be clear: this is a war of Russian aggression, led by a dictator who has commanded his troops to commit war crimes, steal children from their families, and torture civilians. President Trump is rewarding President Putin for these crimes while cutting out the Ukrainians who have fought and died for the cause of democracy and our European allies who have stepped up to support them.
“Americans would also have to live with the ramifications of a bad deal: allies and partners who see us as untrustworthy and are less willing to come to our aid when we call for help. A weakened nation on the world stage. Adversaries who know they can simply wait for us to cave. A government in Washington that continues to abandon the principles of separate but equal branches of government.
“We will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine and for American safety and security.”