Following Bipartisan Trip to Ukraine, DeLauro Calls for Additional Support to Defeat Russia

DeLauro: “Russia must be stopped… Congress must give Ukraine the resources to defend its sovereignty and bring Putin’s war to an end.”

WASHINGTON – Last month, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and a bipartisan group of House Appropriations Committee Members led by Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK-04) traveled to Europe to show support for Ukraine and U.S. allies countering Russian aggression, to oversee how taxpayer dollars are being used, and to assess Ukrainian defense needs. 

Following this trip, Ranking Member DeLauro called on Congress and the Trump Administration to provide additional support to Ukraine, including licensing the production of the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, strengthening U.S. and allied security, and confronting Russia’s continued aggression. 

While in Ukraine, the lawmakers received battlefield updates from Ukrainian commanders, witnessed how Ukraine has used U.S. funding to protect critical infrastructure, saw how Ukraine is defending against evolving drone and missile attacks, and met with U.S. businesses that operate in Ukraine. Not only did this show support for Ukrainians in their fight against Russia’s invasion, but the members received firsthand information about urgent needs and how the U.S. is vulnerable to the types of attacks Russians are launching against Ukraine. DeLauro pledged her continued support to reinvigorate U.S. assistance for Ukraine, as four of the five supplemental spending bills aiding Ukraine were enacted while she was Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

After departing the battlefield, the delegation traveled to the newest NATO members, Finland and Sweden, to discuss the increased resources European countries are providing toward defense capabilities and European security. While in Helsinki, DeLauro met with the Finnish Foreign Minister and saw U.S.-Finland icebreakers and civil defense preparations for any potential conflict with Russia.

The trip also included a stop in Moldova, which borders Ukraine, to discuss the impacts others in the region are feeling from the war. While in Moldova, DeLauro talked to the Moldovan president about Russian influence in Eastern Europe and humanitarian assistance in the region. 

Members also went to Copenhagen, meeting with the Prime Minister, to discuss Denmark’s contributions to the war in Ukraine. DeLauro expressed her strong opposition to any threats made by President Trump against Denmark related to control over Greenland.

In each country the delegation visited, members heard the same thing: European allies have serious concerns about the threat of Russian aggression and are eager for U.S. leadership to counter this threat to both American and European security. DeLauro released this statement following the trip:

“Russia must be stopped. Vladimir Putin's greed, aggression, and unyielding pursuit of power have caused a grievous loss of life and humanitarian devastation. After seeing the situation firsthand, the conclusion could not be clearer: Congress must give Ukraine the resources to defend its sovereignty and bring Putin’s war to an end.

“This is not charity, and it is not a distant conflict with no consequence for the American people. Ukraine is on the front line of a broader struggle against authoritarian aggression. What happens in Ukraine has direct implications for the security of the United States and our allies. At every stop, Democrats and Republicans saw the stakes plainly: if the United States turns its back on Ukraine, we make America less safe, embolden Putin, and send dictators around the world the message that aggression will be ignored.

“Steadfast United States’ support of the Ukrainian people is not optional. It is an investment in our own national security. President Trump said he would end the war in Ukraine on day one. Instead, Putin continues his brutal assault while the Administration has failed to provide the sustained leadership this moment requires. Congress cannot allow delay and distraction in Washington to determine Ukraine’s fate. Failure to act would mean the appeasement of a dictator, the destruction of an allied nation, a weakened and fractured Europe, and an unfathomable blow to global democracy. Putin is counting on America to lose its resolve. We cannot give him that victory.”

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