Neal, Markey on the one year anniversary of the invasion of Ukrainian

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Friday marks the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Congressman Richard Neal and Senator Ed Markey released statements marking the first anniversary.

Congressman Richard Neal Statement

“In the year since Putin’s authoritarian regime invaded Ukraine, unthinkable violence and devastating loss have followed. The Kremlin’s unprovoked action remains a horrific stain on humanity. But these senseless attacks were also met with great unity and hope. The Ukrainian people showed the world their resilience and the resilience of democracy.

“Under President Biden’s dutiful leadership, the United States rallied the world to support Ukraine. For our part, Ways and Means Democrats acted decisively to isolate Putin and inflict economic pain on Russia and Belarus by banning energy imports and suspending normal trade relations. These congressional actions were essential pieces of our efforts to save lives, restore peace, and defend our values.

“Now, we stand firmer than ever in our unity against hate. Our allies agreed: bad actors will be punished and the support for Ukraine hasn’t wavered. From seeking suspension of Russia from the World Trade Organization to today’s actions from the Biden Administration, we’ve acted in concert to hold Putin accountable and deepen the economic consequences. We have a responsibility to ensure this commitment endures, and that freedom rises above all.”

Senator Ed Markey Statement

Markey along with co-chairs of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group issued the following statement:

“Today marks one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, leading to the loss of thousands of innocent lives and massive disruptions to the international system. 

“We, the co-Chairs of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, reiterate our condemnation of Putin’s war of choice and repeated, thinly-veiled threats to use nuclear weapons. As the devastating war rages on, we must help deliver to the people of Ukraine and our NATO allies the appropriate conventional military support needed to repel Russian aggression. Just as importantly, we must work with our international allies and partners to underscore that nuclear weapons use or threats of use by Russia are, as the Group of 20 nations declared in November, ‘inadmissible.’

“In addition, as President Joe Biden has said, even as the United States rallies the world to hold Russia accountable for its brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine, we must continue to ensure that common-sense limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals remain in place.

“Unfortunately, Russia’s ‘suspension’ of the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and its refusal to engage in talks on a New START follow-on agreement exacerbates the danger of an unconstrained arms race – not only between the owners of the world’s two largest nuclear weapons arsenals but also with China. There are no winners – only losers – in a nuclear arms race.

“We urge Russia to reverse course and to return expeditiously to full compliance with New START by resuming on-site inspections and to engage with the United States on concluding a new nuclear arms control framework before the treaty expires on February 5, 2026. Otherwise, the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals will go without limits for the first time since 1972.

“To focus greater attention and build bipartisan support for effective nuclear arms control and disarmament measures, we are today announcing the extension of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group into the 118th Congress. We urge all our colleagues who are concerned about the risks of unconstrained nuclear weapons arsenals to join us in this effort. This working group will continue to encourage the Biden administration to pursue common-sense nuclear arms control with Russia, as well as China, and to advance other overdue nuclear policies and risk reduction measures in order to move towards a future in which nuclear weapons no longer threaten all humanity.”