Following are excerpts of the keynote address (as prepared for delivery) by Sen. Robert Menendez at the May 2 rally in support of Ukraine held at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey.
… This is a time of ongoing crisis [in Ukraine]. …Experts tell us that we need to be concerned about an imminent attack on Kharkiv or Odesa. And the persistent skirmishes on the outskirts of Mariupol threaten to erupt into open warfare at any moment.
The humanitarian cost is building as well. The number of Ukrainian citizens who have been displaced by the crisis and in need of assistance in the country’s unoccupied territories has risen to over 1.5 million.
My analysis is this: There are many experts who would contend that the complexity of the geopolitics that led to the U.S.’s retreat from Europe created an opening for [Vladimir] Putin in Ukraine. Clearly, we must closely coordinate with our European friends for the sanctions against Russia to work. And, we must appeal to the international community to address the growing humanitarian crisis within Ukraine’s borders.
But, I think – without any doubt – we can all agree on one key point: the United States must take the lead.
The administration should fully implement measures in the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, which the President signed into law on December 18. The legislation passed – with unanimous consent – in both houses of Congress. It authorizes the president to provide much-needed military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. And it imposes additional sanctions against Russia. This legislation was necessary in December, and is even more necessary in May.
We all want a diplomatic solution, but I believe that this can only happen when Putin believes that the cost of continuing to ravage Ukraine is simply too high.
Providing non-lethal equipment like night vision goggles is all well and good, but giving Ukrainians the ability to see the Russians coming, but not the weapons to respond, is not the answer. Night vision goggles are one thing, but providing anti-tank and anti-armor weapons, tactical troop-operated surveillance drones, and secure command-and-communications equipment would be better.
Frankly, I’m disappointed that the administration, required [by the Ukraine Freedom Support Act] to report to Congress on its plan for increasing military assistance to Ukraine, was two months late in sending it. And when the report finally arrived, it did not include a section on lethal defensive assistance – assistance the administration has not provided to the Ukrainian military in contravention of the will of Congress and the recommendation of a cadre of current and former administration officials and experts. …
Now, on the issue of sanctions, in my view, it’s definitely time to impose additional targeted sanctions on the Russian energy sector to add to existing sanctions that are already costing the Russian economy about $140 billion per year – or about 7 percent of its economy. The administration should tighten restrictions on the development of shale deposits, Arctic drilling and offshore drilling.
The Ukraine Freedom Support Act called for the administration to impose sanctions on other defense industry targets, as well as on special Russian crude oil projects by January 31. And I am still waiting for the administration’s response.
At the end of the day, the most effective sanction is an economically viable and stable Ukraine. The U.S. may provide an additional $1 billion in loan guarantees towards the end of this year, on top of the $2 billion in guarantees already provided. In my view, this is a worthy investment and it needs to be matched by continued reforms by the Ukrainians.
…we must take a more strategic approach in facing this resurgent Russia.
First, we need to reinvigorate the institutions that have for so long contributed to the trans-Atlantic relationship and peace and stability. We need to sharpen our arsenal of response options – and that means NATO and EU integration – and adapting them to today’s realities. It will require streamlining the cumbersome bureaucratic procedures to bring nations into the Western fold more quickly. …
Second, our intelligence community also needs to reprioritize the Russian threat – not only addressing the immediate security threat in Ukraine, but across the board in Europe.
Third is communications. I understand that the administration is working with the Broadcasting Board of Governors to commit $23.2 million to Russian-language programming, a 49 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2014. The State Department has also requested more than $20 million in foreign assistance and public diplomacy funds to counter Russian propaganda through training for Russian-speaking journalists; support for civil society watchdogs and independent media; exchange programs; and access to fact-based news.
The Russian investment in its propaganda machine still dwarfs what we have dedicated to the task. Just this week, Putin announced that he will spend the equivalent of $717 million on subsidizing media this year. That’s nearly 40 times larger than the proposed U.S. investment of $23.2 million in Russian-language programming. …
There are also reports that the Russian government provides funding for political parties, NGOs and think tanks across Europe. … we need a broader soft-power strategy to counter their influence and we should work to leverage our State Department public diplomacy and USAID programming towards that end.
…At the end of the day, the firm, strong hand of American leadership is what will matter most. We need to ensure that we do all we can for the future of Ukraine. …