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Written to the U.S. Congressional Leadership MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF UKRAINE CHAIRMAN OF THE “SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE” POLITICAL PARTY FACTION MAJORITY LEADER 5 Hrushevskoho Street, Kyiv, Ukraine, 01008 April 20, 2021 The Honorable Chuck Schumer The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader Minority Leader United States Senate United States Senate 322 Hart Senate Office Building 317 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Speaker of the House of Representatives Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives 1236 Longworth House Office Building 2468 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy: As Majority Leader in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s unicameral parliament, I am writing to request the continued attention and enhanced support of the United States Congress for Ukraine as our government seeks to counter recent escalations in Russian aggression and the continued violation of our territorial integrity. As you know, Ukraine is confronted by a growing number of Russian forces along our border and ongoing attacks on our sovereign territory. Since 2014, our people have endured the occupation of both Crimea and the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, while Russia has more recently taken steps to tighten its control of the nearby Sea of Azov and Black Sea. Russia also continues to brazenly violate last year’s cease-fire agreement between our two countries, with actions that have been well documented by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We have seen a significant increase in attacks on our armed forces, resulting in the death of twenty-four soldiers in recent weeks, in addition to the over 14,000 who have lost their lives since the beginning of the war. Both President Volodymyr Zelensky and our parliament remain steadfast in our commitment to defend our country, our citizens, and our neighbors from Russian encroachment. In recent days, President Zelensky has been on the frontlines of this conflict, meeting with troops in the Donbass under daily threat 1 of Russian attacks and assessing the situation on the ground. He has also taken bold actions to root out Russian-led corruption and disinformation in our country, including the recent imposition of sanctions that blocked three pro-Russian television stations from operating in Ukraine and prompted the recent dramatic increase in cease-fire violations by Russia. More broadly, the Ukrainian Government has continued efforts to deepen its participation in the Euro- Atlantic alliance. Over the past two years, our parliament has taken notable steps to implement reforms that promote democratic processes, address corruption, and help our armed forces meet NATO standards. We trust these measures will facilitate U.S. designation of Ukraine as a major non-NATO ally at the earliest opportunity, as well as the establishment of a mutual defense agreement between our two nations – actions that would complement accelerated consideration for NATO membership that our President has requested. Our government has also sought to re-establish a dialogue on returning Crimea to Ukraine through the Crimean Platform initiative. We urge high-level U.S. participation in this diplomatic effort, and are encouraged that your government is calling on its international partners to join as well. We have welcomed the recent consultations by Presidents Zelensky and Biden and members of their national security teams as Russia’s aggression has escalated. I also recognize that the military, economic, and humanitarian assistance provided to date would not have been possible without active interest and leadership by the U.S. Congress. As a fellow parliamentarian, I fully understand the challenges involved in advancing legislation and appreciate in particular your personal engagement to enable the modernization and expansion of Ukraine’s military capacity and its interoperability with the U.S. military and other allies. Like our presidents, I would welcome the opportunity to remain in regular contact with you as this serious situation evolves and as our respective parliamentary bodies consider additional legislation to address it. Sustained attention and dialogue will be essential as we seek, together, to coordinate actions that effectively deter Russia and further the restoration Ukraine’s territorial integrity. In the immediate term, through your annual National Defense Authorization Act, the pending Ukraine Security Partnership Act and other means, we hope to secure urgent needs such as the transfer of excess U.S. defense equipment to bolster our security forces. Lastly, Ukraine would welcome the participation of a bipartisan Congressional leadership delegation in ceremonies this August marking the 30th anniversary of our independence from the Soviet Union. Your attendance would have great significance by demonstrating to Russia that the U.S. commitment to Ukraine is unwavering, and by buoying the Ukrainian people’s resolve during these difficult times. Thank you again for the United States Congress’s strong support for Ukraine and for your personal attention to these vital matters for our nations. Sincerely, Davyd Arakhamia Majority Leader, Servant of the People Party Verkhovna Rada/Ukraine Parliament 2 .
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