FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, December 7, 2021

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At Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing, Portman Urges Strong U.S. Response to Russian Aggression Toward Ukraine, Tells Administration that Ukraine “Chose to Stand With Us, and Now it is Our Turn to Stand With Them”

WASHINGTON, DC – During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) questioned Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, regarding the Russian military buildup on the borders of Ukraine. Senator Portman urged the United States to stand with Ukraine and demonstrate our resolve through the passage the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, since it includes funding for lethal defense weapons for Ukraine. He also made the point that the Ukraine military has had the opportunity to modernize so Russian forces would face a more organized and better prepared military if they decide to invade.

A transcript of Senator Portman’s questioning can be found below and video can be found here.

Senator Portman: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We live in dangerous times, don’t we? This is a deadly serious moment in the history of Ukraine and the history of the region. I thank you, Ambassador Nuland, for your time and your effort and spending some time with us last night, as well. I know that President Biden spoke with President Putin on this subject today, and I look forward to getting the readout from that. I know we all do. Senator Risch and I sent a letter last week to the President urging him to show absolute support for Ukraine and to let President Putin know that under no uncertain terms that there would be serious consequences. And also to reject unreasonable Kremlin demands. I’d like that letter, without objection, to be included in the record.

“I visited the Maidan in 2014. The tires were still smoldering and that revolution of dignity changed everything. Ukraine decided to turn to us and to the West and to freedom and democracy. It was a momentous decision, they chose to stand with us. And now it’s our turn to stand with them. We’ve done that over the years. If you look at what happened with regard to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which I co-authored, over the past six years the United States has transferred defense articles, conducted training with the Ukrainian military, we have been very engaged. I would ask you, Ambassador, this week we have the NDAA likely to be voted on and likely it will include an increase in that lethal defense funding, what defensive weapons has Ukraine asked for and what is the State Department willing to provide them under an expedited process?”

The Honorable Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs: “So Senator, we had a chance to talk about this at some length in the classified session last night and I appreciate the time and the detail we were able to go into there. I think that given the fact that the threat is now coming not simply from the East but from three sides of Ukraine, what they are seeking is largely more of the defensive lethal equipment that we have already given them. These same kinds of things that you actually don’t deploy in an offensive way but are essential for defenses.”

Senator Portman: “Anti-aircraft, anti-tank weaponry?”

Under Secretary Nuland: “Exactly.”

Senator Portman: “Let me ask you this, if there is an invasion, I believe that Russia will not face anything like the same Ukrainian resistance it did in 2014. With all due respect, at that time the Ukrainian military had not been modernized, they were disorganized, they were a new country in essence. The Ukrainian military has now made significant strides in professionalism and enacted important defense reforms. And again, the United States and our NATO allies have been very involved in that. What domestic factors is President Putin considering when weighing the option to invade Ukraine? Does he have sufficient domestic support despite that all calculations indicate that Russia is going to experience high casualties? Has he factored in the cost of additional sanctions, including severe sanctions such as denial of access to the swift banking mechanism?”

Under Secretary Nuland: “I think it’s important that not just President Putin, as he got the message very clearly from President Biden today, but that the Russian people also appreciate the kinds of things that are being contemplated. And the kind of risk that their president is potentially taking them into, including for their sons and daughters who serve. I would just add to your list, with regard to the capability of the Ukrainian forces, and obviously Russia is so much bigger and their force is so much bigger, but Ukraine is better trained now. But in addition to that, many, many Ukrainians have served and are now returned to civilian life, some of them with that training as well so that’s something to factor in. I haven’t seen any Russian polling but what I have seen is the Kremlin spreading huge amounts of disinformation, including inside Russia, to try to make the case that Russia is under threat from Ukraine and nothing could be further from the truth. There is no threat to Russia from Ukraine. So he is trying to prepare the ground in his own body politic, but, again, he might do better to listen to the needs that they have as they try to come out of COVID, which they have much more to do with their daily lives and their roads, and schools, and hospitals, and healthcare.”

Senator Portman: “Well I agree with that. I think it would be a grave mistake if Putin were to decide to invade again and I think this time he would meet a very different and more capable resistance. My hope is that in the next several days we’ll be able to continue to send those strong messages through a vote on the National Defense Authorization Bill, but also in other ways to let Russia know in no uncertain terms of the severe sanctions that would accompany any kind of invasion