Van Hollen Blasts Trump for Betrayal of Ukrainian People, Freedom and Democracy Around the World

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) spoke on the Senate floor against President Trump’s betrayal of the Ukrainian people and freedom and democracy around the world. A video of the Senator’s remarks is available here and a transcript is available below:

“Mr. President, before I talk about that great betrayal by Donald Trump, I want to talk about another betrayal that is going on as we speak. And that is his betrayal of the Ukrainian people and everybody who yearns for and fights for freedom and democracy around the world.

“What we are witnessing is not America first. We are witnessing America in retreat. The Ukrainian people, for over three years now, have been fighting against the brutal onslaught by Vladimir Putin. They're fighting to protect their sovereignty, their way of life. And President Trump is throwing the Ukrainian people under the bus, and at the same time, betraying people who fight for freedom around the world.

“You know, Donald Trump likes to pick on people he perceives as weaker. We all know that he made fun of people with disabilities. He likes to pick on people who have differences. But, when it comes to other bullies, he is a weak, weak person. He backs down. And that is what we are witnessing with respect to Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump is backing down.

“In fact, he just today blamed the Ukrainians and President Zelenskyy for Putin's attack on the Ukrainian people. In fact, he called Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy, a dictator, when it's Vladimir Putin that is the dictator and launched the assault on the Ukrainian people.

“We should all be ashamed, ashamed, Mr. President. I met with President Zelenskyy at the Munich conference over the weekend, along with many of my Senate colleagues, a bipartisan delegation. All of us, Republicans and Democrats, said to President Zelenskyy that you have our continued support – the Ukrainian people have our continued support.

“But at that same conference, we saw Vice President Vance not even talk about the threat from Putin and our support for the Ukrainian people. In fact, we heard him lecture the people from Europe and others around the world gathered at that conference about their “weak democracy.” And said that really what they needed to do was kowtow to the farthest right parties in Germany – neo-fascist parties in Germany. And then after saying that, he went out and met with them. That is now the United States foreign policy in action. And all of us, on a bipartisan basis, should be standing up and saying that that's wrong.

“We had the Secretary of Treasury arrive to extort Zelenskyy, saying that unless you give us half of your rare mineral reserves to pay for past support, you don't get any additional support from the American people. Imagine if, during World War II, FDR had said to Churchill and our other allies: hey, we're no longer going to support you in the fight against fascism, Nazis, and Hitler unless you sign over, now, half of your natural resources.

“Mr. President, this is a shameful moment for the United States. We have stood up for freedom. We have stood up for democracy. We have stood up for the rule of law. And now President Trump is throwing Ukraine and freedom-loving people around the world under the bus.

“So, I say to our NATO allies and other allies around the world and partners who believe in the rule of law and believe in democracy: you're going to have to carry this mantle for now. A lot of people say, oh, that's just President Trump saying these things – watch what he does, not what he says.

“What an American president says matters.

“And when President Trump talks about abandoning Ukraine, and how President Zelenskyy is the dictator, and how Ukraine started the war, not Putin – that is throwing Ukraine and our NATO allies under the bus. So, our European allies, our European NATO friends, they're going to have to step up and clearly carry that mantle. And I really urge my Senate Republican colleagues to do so at this moment.

“You know, it was Donald Trump who, in speaking about Americans who lost their lives in combat, said, “they are losers and suckers.” That's what the now-President of the United States said about Americans who sacrificed their lives for our country. Folks may also recall that's what he said about our former colleague, Senator McCain, because he was taken prisoner.

“So, I really hope that those in the Senate, in both parties, will stand up and stand up for the principles the United States has stood up for. Not perfectly – far from perfectly – but what we've stood up for since World War II and in that post-war period, where we helped construct many of the institutions that helped set the rules of the road in the globe today.”