Ukrainian & Polish American Communities Stand with Ukraine
Under a banner that reads “Support Ukraine Now,” the leading representative organizations of the Ukrainian and Polish American communities have called on the White House to support Ukraine in its existential war with russia and simultaneously uphold democracy and sovereignty in Europe.
It has been my contention that the former captive nations of russian imperialism constitute the best defense against moscow’s aggression. They, more than other nations, have nationally and personally experienced russisa’s whip, barbed wire, execution squads and russification. And they fear most of all a return to captivity. In that lies the significance of their united appeal.
There have been positive expressions of support for the renewal of such multinational organizations like the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations that can champion preservation of the independence and sovereignty of countries that by 1991 have fully shed themselves of russia’s shackles. The Lublin Triangle of Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania is one such military-economic alliance that must be formalized and expanded.
Here, in the United States, American voters whose ancestors across Eastern Europe fought against Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany have oftentimes demonstrated their civic cooperation to highlight the evil of moscow’s past and present oppression of their peoples. Aligning themselves with local and national elected officials, they have raised awareness about why their nations must be helped today and tomorrow. Obviously, this is not only for their benefit but also for America. It is no longer an expression of extremism, but a serious expectation that if Ukraine is defeated by russia today, Europe and the United States – all Americans as Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) recently said – will suffer.
Sadly, Capitol Hill is dangerously divided along partisan lines in supporting Ukraine or not. Republicans, descendants of the GOP that in a previous generation lead the charge in defense of the captive nations, do not want to provide Ukraine with the funds and weapons it needs to defeat and expel russia from Ukraine. Lawmakers that echo this dangerous sentiment should understand that their descendants are American citizens and voters – their electorate that know well the power of the ballot. Who lost Ukraine will be repeated during every campaign.
The Ukraine Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Polish American Congress (PAC) have demonstrated their common alignment for Ukraine and the other former captive nations, and have called on the American government to stand with Ukraine. The following is the full text of their statement issued last month and signed by Andrew J. Futey, UCCA president, and Frank J. Spula, PAC president:
After nearly two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukraine Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Polish American Congress (PAC), representing the Ukrainian and Polish communities respectively, appeal to the US Congress to take immediate action on the supplemental funding bill for Ukraine. Our respective communities call upon the Biden Administration and both parties in Congress to take proactive, measurable actions to deter the Kremlin from further genocidal actions against Ukraine and hybrid warfare against other countries in the Central and East European region. Russia’s egregious invasion of Ukraine not only violates human rights and the American-led, rules-based order but also directly threatens America’s national security interests.
This war has reached a pivotal moment, and Russia is gaining support from some of the most corrupt and authoritative countries globally. As a result, Ukraine’s capacity to defend itself is being depleted, as evidenced by extensive missile barrages launched at the onset of the 2024 New Year. This deliberate strategy aims to exhaust Ukraine’s supply of defensive weaponry, with a disregard for civilian lives during the harsh winter months. Failure to promptly pass the supplemental funding will leave Ukraine less equipped to defend itself, directly impacting American interests.
Securing the $61.4 billion National Security Supplemental Funding Package for Ukraine extends beyond Ukraine’s territorial boundaries. Poland understands the risks Russia poses and has been at the forefront in Europe. Poland is an indispensable ally in countering Russian aggression, allocating 3.9% of its GDP to defense spending—twice the NATO target of 2%.
Crucially, the Polish American community recognizes the gravity of Russian aggression. Putin’s veiled threats against Poland’s sovereignty, referring to Poland as “a gift of Stalin,” underline the need for unity. The Polish and Ukrainian communities rightfully understand the need to counter the menace of an aggressive Russia and endorse American efforts to assist Ukraine in its existential struggle.
As the leader of the Free World, in collaboration with our Polish, Ukrainian, and other European partners, the United States cannot leave its allies alone at this critical juncture. We must collectively support Ukraine and uphold the values of democracy and sovereignty in Europe.
The PAC and the UCCA continue to advocate for a greater relationship between the United States and Central and East European countries. 

Schumer: Americans will Suffer if Ukraine Falls

It has been our contention that the fate of the world hangs on the outcome of the latest iteration of the russo-Ukraine war that putin launched. If Ukraine fails to hold at bay and defeat russia, then Eastern Europe, Europe, NATO, and the United States will fall.

The russian war against Ukraine has lasted more than 700 days and no one has offered Washington legislators a better explanation about why Ukraine must prevail than Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), a perennial supporter of Ukraine.

Capitol Hill is currently in a deadlock about what to do with funding and support, which Ukraine desperately needs if it is to have any chance of subduing moscow’s bloody onslaught. The Democrats, including President Biden, favor providing Ukraine with comprehensive aid without any stipulations. On the other hand, the Republicans, who in a previous generation were known for their support for Ukraine and the captive nations, are holding back pending resolution of the Mexican border question.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week that negotiators “are working furiously to approve another round of Ukraine aid” and border security enhancements — but some provisions are “still outstanding.”

“One thing is certain: We’re going to keep going to get this done,” Schumer said in a floor speech. “If we don’t act, Ukraine will fall. And every day Americans will feel the impact, not years but months away.”

The $106 billion national security supplemental proposed in October by Biden would also include funds for US security in the Indo-Pacific, military assistance for Israel amid its war with Hamas, as well as humanitarian aid for Ukraine, the Jewish state, and the Gaza Strip.

It includes $61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine as it nears the second anniversary of the Russian invasion, $14.3 billion for Israel, $13.6 billion to enhance border enforcement and $10 billion in humanitarian assistance.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has stood united with Schumer in calling for funding Ukraine’s war effort against Russia — despite opposition from right-wing Republicans who want to secure the border first.

“This has never been about charity,” McConnell told his colleagues Wednesday morning. “It’s not about virtue-signaling or abstract principles of international relations. This is about cold, hard American interests. This is in the United States’ direct interest for authoritarians not to feel free to redraw maps by force,” he added, noting that putin’s re-election campaign bears the slogan “Russia’s borders do not end anywhere.”

With time slipping to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, Senate negotiators struggled Wednesday to finalize a bipartisan deal that would pair policy changes at the U.S. southern border with wartime aid for Kyiv as their carefully negotiated compromise ran into strong resistance from House Republicans and Donald Trump.

Ukrainian American voters, as well as those whose lineage comes from the former captive nations, are hoping that the impasse will be broken in time to provide Ukraine with primarily military equipment, weapons and arms. European countries on February 1 gave a green light to a proposal to provide Ukraine with regular and predictable financial support through the so-called “Ukraine Facility,” which will have available up to 50 billion euros ($53.9 billion) in grants and loans until 2017.

Innocent Ukrainian Civilians are russia’s True Targets

It has been obvious since the first days of the latest iteration of russia’s war against Ukraine that moscow won’t succeed in taking Kyiv in two or three days and all of Ukraine in another few weeks, as putin crowed.

The incompetent former second mightiest army in the world has waged an uphill battle to decimate the Armed Forces of Ukraine and then seize and subjugate the country and nation. Village to village battles have not fared well for russia. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, led by Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, have kept the russian invaders at bay on land, air and sea.

Consequently, the cutthroat russians turned to killing innocent civilians and children and destroying their homes and apartments and demolishing the country’s infrastructure. This brutality has finally come to the attention of the United Nations.

Russia’s intense missile and drone attacks across Ukraine during the Christmas and New Year holidays sharply increased civilian casualties in December with over 100 killed and nearly 500 injured, the United Nations said in a new report Tuesday, January 17, according to the Associated Press.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said there was a 26.5% increase in civilian casualties last month – from 468 in November to 592 in December. With some reports still pending verification, it said, the increase was likely higher.

Danielle Bell who heads the UN’s monitoring mission, said: “Civilian casualties had been steadily decreasing in 2023 but the wave of attacks in late December and early January violently interrupted that trend.”

The UN mission said it is verifying reports the recent intense russian missile and drone attacks that began hitting populated areas across Ukraine on December 29 and continued into early January killed 86 civilians and injured 416 others.

“These attacks sow death and destruction on Ukraine’s civilians who have endured profound losses from russia’s full-scale invasion for almost two years now,” Bell said.

The UN monitoring mission said the highest number of casualties occurred during attacks on December 29, 2023, and January 2 amid plummeting winter temperatures. On January 4, it said, russian missiles struck the small town of Pokrovsk and nearby town of Rivne close to the front lines, burying two families – six adults and five children – in the rubble of their homes. Some bodies have still not been found as of the date of the report, it said.

In another attack on January 6, the blast wave from a russian missile strike in Novomoskovsk injured 31 civilians including eight passengers on a minibus that was destroyed during the morning commute, the UN said.

The confirmed number of civilians killed since russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, is more than 10,200, including 575 children, and the number of injured is over 19,300, the UN humanitarian office’s operations director, Edem Wosornu, told the UN Security Council last Wednesday.

As for child casualties, add to the previous figure tens of thousands of Ukrainian children who have been stolen – yes, stolen, not kidnapped, by russia and belarus, contributing to putin being designated a war criminal.

White House Urges Passage of Ukraine Aid Package after Devastating Russian Missile Attack

White House says America can’t let Ukraine down after largest rocket attack in months during holiday season.

President Biden warns “unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people.”

Full text of statement issued today follows:

Overnight, Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since this war began. This massive bombardment used drones and missiles, including missiles with hypersonic capability, to strike cities and civilian infrastructure all across Ukraine. Strikes reportedly hit a maternity hospital, a shopping mall, and residential areas—killing innocent people and injuring dozens more. It is a stark reminder to the world that, after nearly two years of this devastating war, Putin’s objective remains unchanged. He seeks to obliterate Ukraine and subjugate its people. He must be stopped.

In the face of this brutal attack, Ukraine deployed the air defense systems that the United States and our Allies and partners have delivered to Ukraine over the past year to successfully intercept and destroy many of the missiles and drones. The American people can be proud of the lives we have helped to save and the support we have given Ukraine as it defends its people, its freedom, and its independence. But unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people. Congress must step up and act without any further delay.
 
The stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine. They affect the entirety of the NATO Alliance, the security of Europe, and the future of the Transatlantic relationship.  Putin has not just attempted to destroy Ukraine; he has threatened some of our NATO Allies as well. When dictators and autocrats are allowed to run roughshod in Europe, the risk rises that the United States gets pulled in directly.  And the consequences reverberate around the world.  That’s why the United States has rallied a coalition of more than 50 countries to support the defense of Ukraine.  We cannot let our allies and partners down.  We cannot let Ukraine down.  History will judge harshly those who fail to answer freedom’s call.

‘As long as we can’

You don’t have to be a grammarian or linguist to understand the difference between “as long as we can” and “as long as it takes.”

The latter means that your participation, in this case America’s support for Ukraine, will last as long as it takes to reach a beneficial conclusion for Ukraine, that is victory and russia’s defeat. The former means that America’s support for Ukraine will last as long as the circumstances allow America’s support.

One means that nothing will scare America from its salubrious dedication to Ukraine while the other one means that if the heat gets too hot then America will abandon Ukraine.

The latter commitment was repeated by President Biden whenever the topic of supporting Ukraine came up and the former one emerged yesterday after President Zelenskyy met with the President at the White House and lawmakers on The Hill, including the Republican naysayers.

President Zelenskyy departed the nation’s capital with a bag filled with unfulfilled hopes and expectations, after he brilliantly presented the case that helping Ukraine defeat russian invaders is equivalent with defending NATO, the free world, and the United States of America from russian aggression.

Reportedly, President Biden was livid with the Republicans’ stubbornness. Apparently, he was even driven to say he would consider their demand for additional funding for a wall between the US and Mexico as well as a review of the country’s immigration policy. So why did the White House publicly leave the door open to the possibility of relinquishing support for Ukraine? I daresay Ukrainians do not deserve such a dramatic fall from grace.

But so far, senators of the Grand Old Party – that is quickly losing its grandness – are holding fast while the 600-plus day war against Ukraine is still raging. America’s allies, new and old ones, especially the former captive nations of russian subjugation, have earnestly encouraged America, notably the obstinate Republicans, not to surrender to russian’s terrorism and pressure, and continue supporting Ukraine. Still no go.

The Republican schoolyard quarrel with Democrats continues while Ukrainian soldiers, civilians and children are shedding their blood for their country as the nation strives to stay out of moscow’s captivity. And putin is preparing to celebrate a Happy New Year, grateful for the GOP’s holiday gift.

Where are Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, John McCain, ‘Scoop’ Jackson, Pat Moynihan, and Ed Koch when you need them?

If GOP Continues Its Stubbornness, Americans will need to Learn to Speak Russian

Sad but true, blind Republicans can’t see or don’t want to see the global threat that russian imperialism poses. They’d rather be locked into a meaningless schoolyard quarrel with Democrats. They don’t see that moscow, putin, russia, the kremlin also threaten Americans’ way of life. All lawmakers must unitedly support military, humanitarian & financial aid to Ukraine until victory. Without US & free world aid, the West will witness the death of a nation. The only goal for the benefit of Ukraine & the world is the total defeat & destruction of russia not merely its surrender & evacuation from Ukraine.

My latest blog:

• The Danger of Naïve, Capricious Lawmakers

@UNISdirect @UkrCongComAm 

https://thetorncurtain1991.blogspot.com

AP

Ukraine aid in growing jeopardy as Republicans double down on their demands for border security

https://apnews.com/article/6bdcc5dde4dadb48b43ace75b5a55242

AND

Abandon Ukraine & all of East Europe is under threat, exiled Belarus opposition leader warns US: 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/europe/belarus-ukraine-russia-war-us-intl?cid=ios_app

AND

Olena Zelenska warns that Ukrainians are in ‘mortal danger’ of being left to die if West doesn’t continue financial support. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67667035

The Danger of Naïve, Capricious Lawmakers

In the wake of the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany, the specter of another global terrorist and aggressor immediately reared its menacing head as it stretched chains around its “near abroad,” the independent Eastern European countries. One by one, like dominoes, sovereign countries fell as russian tanks crushed proud, freedom-loving nations.

This scenario is on the verge of recurring because of the blind stubbornness of Republican senators who refuse to support President Biden’s proposal for additional financial, humanitarian, and military aid to Ukrainians so they not only can defend themselves but also defeat and expel the russian cutthroats from their country.

The russian war against Ukraine, the largest armed, bloody conflict in Europe since the end of World War Two, has not only engulfed Ukraine but is also threatening the other former captive nations in Eastern Europe.

The situation in the U.S. Senate has perplexed and angered Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian Americans, and Ukraine’s advocates in the United States. After Senate Republicans choked a supplemental funding package on Wednesday to help Ukraine in its fight against the russian invaders, demanding tough new southern border controls and decreased immigration in exchange, the chamber’s leading Democrat took to the floor.

Calling it “a sad night in the history of the Senate,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a stalwart supporter of Ukraine, lamented the vote as a disappointing reflection on the country, a step away from letting vladimir putin “walk right through Ukraine and right through Europe.”

“Republicans just blocked a very much needed proposal to send funding for Ukraine, funding for Israel, humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in Gaza, and funding for the Indo-Pacific,” Schumer declared. “If there is a word for what we most need now, it is to be serious.”

The 49-51 vote reflected a growing trend in Congress that has become a source of distress for the White House. When Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022, aiding Kyiv was a bipartisan project. In May of that year, a $40 billion Ukraine aid package sailed through the House with a vote of 368-57, and the Senate with a vote of 86 -11.

But as the war has dragged on, more Republican lawmakers have turned against extra aid to Ukraine, embracing Donald Trump’s “America first” approach to foreign policy. When the House voted in September on a bill to provide $300 million to train and equip Ukrainian soldiers, most Republicans – 117 members – opposed it.

The historical oddity of this GOP transformation is that during the height of the Cold War Republicans led the charge against Soviet Russia and in defense of the captive nations.

FOX News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane, among others, weighing the consequences if the US stops aid to Ukraine and Russia wins the conflict, said stopping funding for Ukraine would be outrageous.

Indeed, many foreign policy and history pundits have been aghast by the prospect of a russian victory. They described such a possibility as catastrophic. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged members of the alliance to “stay the course in supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion as both the United States and European Union struggle to agree on further military aid.

“It’s our obligation to ensure that we provide Ukraine with the weapons they need,” Stoltenberg told reporters as he arrived for a gathering of foreign ministers from NATO countries at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels. “We just have to stay the course. This is about also our security interests,” he added alluding to the possibility of russian armies swarming across Europe if russia defeats Ukraine. Stoltenberg’s message for Republicans is that slashing Ukraine’s support will only empower China.

Many of the advocates for Ukraine are students of russian history while others are more familiar of moscow’s behavior over the past century. However, in both cases they warned that tsarist, soviet or “federal” russia has not changed its belligerent behavior. Russia in all its manifestations has been a terrorist regime that suppressed domestic dissent and spread foreign disinformation because it could not survive if the world knew the truth.

Western leaders and diplomats have naively long tried to find a means to work with the kremlin in hopes of evolving the system. However, the final nail in the coffin of these false hopes has been the latest russo-Ukraine war. The past more than 650 days has finally convinced many that putin and russia will never change. If the United States had listened to those hundreds of russians defectors or the liberation leaders of the post-war captive nations or the current leaders of the former captive nations who came to the free world over the years with powerful warnings, we would have known long before 2022 that reforming Putin’s rotten system is a fool’s errand. Russia will never be a trustworthy member of the family of nations. Sadly, you see that naïve or malicious conviction today in the hallowed halls of congress and academia.

I found an appropriate quotation about this point of view in the book “Putin’s People” by Catherine Belton. It was expressed by Sergei Tretyakov, former colonel in the russia Foreign Intelligence, the SVR, who was stationed in New York before defecting.

Tretyakov observed: “I want to warn Americans. As a people, you are very naive about Russia and its intentions. You believe that because the Soviet Union no longer exists, russia now is your friend. It isn’t and I can show you how the SVR is trying to destroy the U.S. even today and even more than the KGB did during the Cold War.”

The see-saw war has become dangerously tiring for many in the free world. Europeans, especially Eastern Europeans, are committed to supplying Ukraine with arms. In the United States, news of the war against Ukraine has fallen off its previously visible perch due to putin’s other war, the one between Israel and Hamas and its kindred spirits. If you find and read news of the war against Ukraine, you’ll see that one day Ukrainians are scoring magnificent victories while the next day russia has successfully pushed back against Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine still boasts of national unity in support of the war effort. The unanimous belief in the ultimate victory of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is palpable among all strata of Ukrainians. It also enjoys the support of many near and far countries and international organizations. Most importantly, Ukraine has prevailed as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation. This is a major achievement – a big win despite complaints from naysayers.

As Ukraine has moved forward, russia has fallen backward. It is now weaker politically, militarily, and economically. The free world knows russia and putin for what they are – a terrorist country lead by a terrorist dictator.

Among former captive nations, Lithuania’s leaders have staunchly supported comprehensive help for Ukraine and warned against a russian victory. Ukraine urgently needs long-range weapons it needs to win the war against Russia, Gabrielius Landsbergis, minister of foreign affairs, urged. He said, however, that he has observed a unsafe “slowing down of urgency” in Western support for Ukraine. 

Making the case that there is “no bigger element in Ukraine’s victory [than] weapons deliveries,” Landsbergis said there is a “slowdown” and a “bureaucratic approach” to Ukraine’s needs.

“We have to admit that we need Ukrainian victory, otherwise, we’ll be giving a victory to (russian president Vladimir) putin, which in turn is a nightmare, not just for Ukraine, but for the region, for us, for Latvia, for Lithuania, for other countries in our neighborhood, but also globally it will send repercussions,” the minister warned.  

“(We) need to go back to the urgency that we had and then send everything that we can,” he said, specifically noting the need to fulfill Ukraine’s request for long-range rockets that could target Russian military supplies in the occupied regions of Ukraine. 

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron has also urged US lawmakers to “lift the morale” of Ukraine by passing an aid package for Kyiv that has become entangled in Republican quarrelling. Cameron, a former British prime minister, told CNN during a trip to Washington, DC, that the U.S. is “the lynchpin” of the Western coalition backing Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

“Most of the people I met on the Hill yesterday support backing Ukraine, because it’s the right thing to do,” Cameron told CNN, though he avoided commenting on Republicans’ demands on immigration. “This is an investment into their success, and the worst thing in the world would be to allow Putin a win in Ukraine – not just because that would be bad in itself, but (because) he’d be back for more.”

In the meantime, while the Senate remains stalled on the original legislation, the United States is sending a $175 million package of military aid to Ukraine, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, the Pentagon and State Department announced on Wednesday. In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that unless Congress approves the supplemental funding, “this will be one of the last security assistance packages we can provide to Ukraine.”

The Senate, especially that part which so far opposes additional help to Ukraine, must seriously consider the globally disastrous conclusion if Ukraine were to be defeated by russia. Life around the world would change, life in Ukraine would change as russification would tear asunder the people’s lives and kill those men, women and youth who won’t change.

The only moral and just path for the world and for the Senate would be if russia were defeated and destroyed. Call your elected officials.