‘Ukraine Has Earned the Right to Be Defended,’ US Lawmaker Says

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) talks to Ukrainian children at the House Triangle in Washington on Jan. 31, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Lawmakers of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus met with children, families, and wounded Ukrainian soldiers on Jan. 31 at the House Triangle in Washington to further show their support for Kyiv in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The United States helps Ukraine, said Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), because “democracy must prevail over tyranny.”

“We cannot let a sovereign democratic country get wiped off the face of the earth by a tyrant who has eyes on many others,” he continued, adding that others who have their eyes on Taiwan are observing what the United States is doing.

The United States will use the same approach toward the Ukrainian people as it has in the past while fighting for democracy, Quigley said. “In many respects, Ukraine has earned the right to be defended,” he added.

Members of Congress and staff chat with Ukrainian veterans, children, and families at the House Triangle in Washington on Jan. 31, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said he and Quigley will continue to advocate in Congress for the current administration to restore Ukraine’s borders.

Also, hold Russia accountable for “atrocities, or genocide, and the war crimes that they’ve committed.”

“We’re going to push for every single dollar they need, humanitarian aid, and military aid in defense of military equipment, to defend their country,” Fitzpatrick said.

Most House and Senate members want Ukraine to win, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said, “the overwhelming majority of Americans support victory in Ukraine.”

America Benefits

Although the United States charitably aids Ukraine, he continued, it’s also to the country’s benefit because a secure Europe is essential to America’s economic and national interests.

Pavel, a coordinator for the Ukranian-American partnership said it is Ukrainian week in Washington.

He brought a group of Ukrainian veteran soldiers, orphans, and children whose fathers died during the war “for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine [but] for all democratic world.”

Sasha, 12, one of the teenagers who lost her father, said she hopes other children in Ukraine won’t have to go through what she did, and she wishes they will be happy with their families.

As reported by Reuters, President Joe Biden said on Jan. 30 that the United States will not supply Ukraine with F-16 jets.

Big Boost For Kyiv

After obtaining supplies of main battle tanks last week, Kyiv intended to push for Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the F-16, according to an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister on Jan. 27.

According to a Ukrainian air force spokesperson, training on such fighter jets would take roughly six months.

However, Kiev received a significant boost last week when Germany and the United States announced preparations to deliver heavy main battle tanks, breaking weeks of diplomatic gridlock.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, to allegedly defend itself from its neighbor’s links to the West.

The gathering was hosted by co-chairs of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, including Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who serves on the House Appropriations Committee.

She told the Ukrainian children that the statue on top of the Capitol is the “Statue of Freedom, and she looks east—she looks east to victory in Ukraine.”