Mar. 6—Maine’s U.S. senators participated in a Zoom call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, where the embattled Ukrainian leader urged the United States to take more action against Russia.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin sent an invasion force to Ukraine in late February, in an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected Ukrainian government. So far, Ukraine has held off the Russians with fierce resistance, but Zelenskyy said the situation is dire.
On the Zoom call with hundreds of U.S. lawmakers were U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Collins, in a statement on Saturday, said Zelenskyy’s “extraordinary courage has galvanized the Ukrainian people, who are defending their country and their freedom with an inspiring resilience.”
This morning, I joined a number of my Senate & House colleagues on a Zoom with Ukrainian President Zelensky. His extraordinary courage has galvanized the Ukrainian people, who are defending their country & their freedom with an inspiring resilience.
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) March 5, 2022
King said that during the hourlong conversation Zelensky “spoke eloquently and without any notes or preparation on the plight of the Ukrainian people, what they’re doing, and most importantly, what they need — which is both humanitarian and military aid — and which is on the way. He was very graphic in his description of what’s going on in Ukraine and the targeting of civilians, which is not acceptable under any circumstance.”
King said in a statement that Zelensky “made it clear that the international financial sanctions were having a significant effect on Russia’s people and political will, and encouraged us to finalize the ban I co-sponsored on Russian oil and gas imports as early as next week. We also discussed how President Biden is preparing a supplemental funding bill which will include both military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and shared our goal of passing it in the next few days.”
According to a Politico report on the call, Zelensky also requested that the U.S. and NATO establish a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine, an idea that has been so far been rejected by U.S. and European leaders because it would cause a direct conflict with Russia and potentially start World War III.
Collins also said that “in addition to rapidly passing a robust military and humanitarian aid package, the U.S. should ban American imports of Russian oil; revoke Russia’s most-favored-nation status; and send more anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, drones, and other lethal weapons as well as non-lethal supplies to Ukraine.”
King said that “bottom line, though, this was a call of cohesion and resolve — the lawmakers who were on the call expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
