PRESS RELEASE – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus released the following statement after President Trump announced the resumption of Military Aid to Ukraine.
“I support the President’s recent announcement of renewed critical defensive weapons shipments to Ukraine—including lifesaving air defensive systems. The harmful pause in shipments should have never happened in the first place.”
“Last week’s revelation of the unexpected Department of Defense halt came just days after the single largest Russian barrage against Ukraine in which Putin launched over 500 drones and missiles against its cities and civilian populations. Russia has only continued to escalate its devastating strikes.
“US-made air defense systems, including Patriot batteries, are the centerpiece of Ukraine’s defenses against Russian strikes. They save lives every day. There are no parallel defense alternatives for Ukraine if the US stops supplying these vital munitions.
By halting these shipments, leaders in the Department of Defense have risked the imminent deaths of many Ukrainian military service members as well as civilians.
“Supplying Ukraine with these weapons ensures increased demand that enables our own defense industrial base to grow so that we can produce the quantities of munitions needed to defend both ourselves and our Allies.”
“Ukraine’s use of these weapons in its defensive war also allows our military to better test and improve these systems to keep American forces safer.
“As Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus, I want to applaud the work of our nearly 100 Caucus Members for their tireless support for Ukraine in Congress.”
“The unified message our Caucus has sent since before the start of this unprovoked war continues to ensure that any pro-Putin actors, even potentially within the Administration, remain isolated and are made known to the public which continues to back Ukraine’s decade long fight to restore its Liberty.
“As a Caucus, we call upon the Department of Defense to expeditiously and fully renew the shipments of these munitions and demand full accountability from the Administration as to how this important decision was delayed but now restored.”