WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.), a member of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus who represents a large Ukrainian American population in northern New Jersey, on August 1 issued the following statement in response to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s remarks over the weekend on July 30-31, on Ukraine and its relationship with Russia.
“This past weekend we again saw that in addition to Donald Trump’s difficulties mastering simple facts, he doesn’t think twice about regurgitating Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talking points on Crimea,” Rep. Pascrell said. “It is simply irresponsible for Donald Trump to perpetuate the idea that the Kremlin has not violated the sovereign territory of another country by force. This runs counter to the current policies of the United States, our NATO allies, and even the Republican party’s platform. These remarks, as well as his history of cavalier compliments for autocratic strongmen like Putin and chosen advisors, demonstrate that Donald Trump would be dangerous for protecting human rights and democracy around the world. I will continue to stand in strong support of the Ukrainian people by pushing for continued sanctions and relief, as they fight against the illegal invasion of its territorial integrity.”
“The UCCA has consistently taken a unanimous stand in advocating for Ukraine’s freedom and independence,” said Tamara Olexy, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. “Thus, we are very troubled by the recent statements from Candidate Trump, that he might recognize Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and even end sanctions against the Russian Federation. These statements run counter to the Republican Platform that explicitly states, ‘We support maintaining and, if warranted, increasing sanctions, together with our allies, against Russia unless and until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored.’ It seems that candidate Trump has shown a reluctance to condemn Mr. Putin for his continuing war against Ukraine – a country that is currently on the frontlines of defense for Europe, America and the world.”
In December 2014, following Russia’s incursion in Ukraine, Rep. Pascrell joined a group of bipartisan colleagues in introducing the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-272), which provided additional assistance to Ukraine in the forms of humanitarian, energy and defense, while imposing additional sanctions on the Russian Federation. This bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 18, 2014.
This bill, passed unanimously by both chambers of Congress, makes it “the policy of the United States to further assist the government of Ukraine in restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity to deter the government of the Russian Federation from further destabilizing and invading Ukraine and other independent countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.”
Source: Office of Rep. Bill Pascrell