DURBIN MEETS WITH NEW UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR, INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION CONDEMNING RUSSIAN INCURSIONS INTO NATO TERRITORY AND REAFFIRMING NATO ARTICLE 5 ON COLLECTIVE DEFENSE

DURBIN MEETS WITH NEW UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR, INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION CONDEMNING RUSSIAN INCURSIONS INTO NATO TERRITORY AND REAFFIRMING NATO ARTICLE 5 ON COLLECTIVE DEFENSE

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, met with Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S., Olha Stefanishyna, along with a bipartisan group of Senators to discuss Russia's ongoing war and how the United States and its allies can continue to help Ukraine defend itself and address Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. During the meeting, they also discussed Durbin's bipartisan resolution condemning Russian incursions into NATO territory and reaffirming Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

"I don't blame President Trump for trying to engage Russian President Putin to end this war, but it is now clear that Putin isn't interested and only responds with more deadly attacks on Ukraine, incursions into NATO airspace, and mayhem across Europe," said Durbin. "We need to increase military assistance to our Ukrainian allies and allied pressure on Russia-which I reiterated to Ms. Stefanishyna. And we need to stand firm against further Russian testing of NATO defenses and sponsored sabotage across Europe as reaffirmed by the bipartisan resolution I introduced today."

The resolution also condemns Russian's continued assault on Ukraine, kidnapping of Ukrainian children, and refusal to negotiate an end to the war. Along with Durbin, the resolution is introduced with U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch (R-ID), Chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jack Reed (D-RI) Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Text of the resolution can be found here.

A photo of the meeting is available here.

Russia recently violated NATO airspace with multiple drone incursions into Poland-marking the first time in the history of NATO that alliance fighters had engaged enemy targets in allied airspace. Shortly thereafter, another Russian drone breached Romanian airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine, prompting Romanian officials to scramble fighter jets. Russian fighters next entered Estonian airspace and the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.

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