Senator Durbin releases statement on Oval Office remarks

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin released a statement after President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting in the Oval Office.

The statement says:

“After calling the President of Ukraine ‘a dictator’ and blaming him for invading his own country, President Trump and Vice President Vance berated President Zelenskyy for not showing enough gratitude. With 46,000 Ukrainians fallen in battle against the real invader, Vladimir Putin, the Unites States should be thanking President Zelenskyy for Ukraine’s heroic stand on the frontlines of democracy against the Russian war criminal. 

Former President Ronald Reagan and the late Senator John McCain are rolling over in their graves at the thought of an American president sullying America’s image by siding at the UN with dictators in Russia, North Korea, Belarus, and Nicaragua while disrespecting a true American ally—Ukraine. Let me be clear: We cannot let President Trump rewrite history or upend proven partnerships with decades of bipartisan support. I extend my sincere apologies to President Zelenskyy and again reaffirm my support for our Ukrainian friends.”

Sen. Durbin’s office says earlier this week, he introduced the “Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act.” This would be legislation that would provide temporary guest status to Ukrainians and their immediate family members who are already in the United States through the “Uniting for Ukraine” parole process. The bill allows Ukrainians to stay and work in the U.S. until the Secretary of State determines that hostilities in Ukraine have ceased and it is safe for them to return.

The bill can be viewed below.

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