{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=83E7E7DE-3133-45A7-AB37-0C56E2D0298E", "ICYMI: McConnell Welcomes Ukrainian Amb. Markarova to University of Louisville", "2023-10-30", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following introduction today at the University of Louisville for the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova. The following are the Senator\u2019s remarks prepared for delivery:\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s distinguished guest joins us at an especially critical moment in the history of our two countries.\n\n\u201cSince last February, the people of Ukraine have mounted an inspiring resistance to Vladimir Putin\u2019s brutal escalation. Right now, brave Ukrainians are giving their lives to beat back the invasion and restore their country\u2019s sovereignty.\n\n\u201cThey are fighting for the basic right to live in peace in their homes. As the barbaric terrorist attacks of October 7th against Israel remind us, this threat is not unique to Ukraine. Israel has faced this threat for decades. And as President Zelensky has made clear, Israel\u2019s cause resonates in the hearts of Ukrainians.\n\n\u201cRussian aggression and Iran-backed terrorism are clear examples of the evil in the world that seeks to do us harm. Our special guest today, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova, knows this firsthand.\n\n\u201cOver the past twenty months, the Ambassador and I have worked closely together. And for even longer, I\u2019ve been proud to stand with her country. Not out of altruism, but because it\u2019s clear to me that the threats facing America\u2019s friends today are facing us, too. And because the freedoms we hold dearly must be constantly defended.\n\n\u201cRight now, loud voices on both sides of the aisle are suggesting that American leadership isn\u2019t worth the cost. Some say our support for Ukraine comes at the expense of more important priorities. But as I\u2019ve said every time I get the chance, this is a false choice.\n\n\u201cAmerica is a global superpower with global interests. And enemies of democracy around the world would like nothing more than to outlast our resolve to resist Russian aggression.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s remember what\u2019s at stake here: Russian victory in Ukraine would imperil the security and economy of Europe, our largest trading partner and strategic ally since World War II, and endanger the engine of our own economic growth at home.\n\n\u201cIf Russia prevails, there\u2019s no question that Putin\u2019s appetite for empire will extend to NATO, raising the threat to the U.S. transatlantic alliance and the risk of war for America. Such an outcome would demand greater permanent deployment of our military force in Europe, a much greater cost than the support we have provided to Ukraine.\n\n\u201cAnd of course, Russian victory would embolden Putin\u2019s growing alliance with fellow authoritarian regimes in Iran and China.\n\n\u201cSo this is not just a test for Ukraine. It\u2019s a test for the United States and the free world.\n\n\u201cAnd the path toward greater security for all of us is simple: Help Ukraine win the war.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what I\u2019ve been trying to do since before Russian troops surged toward Kyiv last February.\n\n\u201cBack in 2021, I repeatedly urged President Biden to give Ukraine more tools to deter Putin\u2019s escalation in the first place. As the Russian army gathered at the border and invasion looked imminent, I pushed the Administration to speed up shipments of essential weapons like Javelin, Stinger, and Harpoon missiles. And at every step of the conflict, I\u2019ve advocated for putting critical capabilities like HIMARS, cluster munitions, tanks, F-16s, and ATACMs in Ukrainian hands in time to make a difference on the battlefield.\n\n\u201cAnd I\u2019ve spelled out how investments in Ukraine\u2019s defense are really also investments in replenishing and modernizing America\u2019s defense arsenal\u2026 creating thousands of good-paying American jobs in defense manufacturing\u2026 and driving historic investments in communities across the country.\n\n\u201cRight now, our efforts are making a difference \u2013 both in Ukraine and here at home. But the Biden Administration\u2019s hesitation along the way has only prolonged the bloodshed in Ukraine.\n\n\u201cThis is a moment for swift and decisive action \u2013 to prevent further loss of life, and to impose real consequences on the tyrants who have terrorized the people of Ukraine and Israel. And right now, the Senate has a chance to produce supplemental assistance that will help us do exactly that.\n\n\u201cEnemies abroad will be watching closely and waiting for America to falter. Only our concrete and credible support can deter our adversaries in the future and restore security.\n\n\u201cNow, for those of us who are committed to this effort and to American leadership, there\u2019s been no greater partner than Ambassador Oksana Markarova. Early on in our work together, I learned what today\u2019s audience will soon discover: that she is whip-smart, a gifted communicator, and a true patriot.\n\n\u201cAfter receiving her formal education in Ukraine, she earned a Masters in Public Finance at Indiana University. Following 17 years of success in investment banking, she answered what she described as her \u2018call to action\u2019 and entered public service.\n\n\u201cAs Finance Minister, she helped author Ukraine\u2019s macroeconomic revival program, and worked to privatize state-owned banks, reduce the budget deficit, and bring greater transparency to public finances. She knows first-hand Ukraine\u2019s struggles to combat corruption, a problem that is more prevalent than we often care to admit in many countries, including our own.\n\n\u201cIn 2021, she was tapped as Ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C., and in short order became a wartime diplomat.\n\n\u201cWith thousands of Ukrainians killed on the front line and millions forced to flee their homes, Ambassador Markarova can\u2019t afford to stay under the radar.\n\n\u201cSince the onset of the war, she has been a visible and vocal advocate for her country\u2019s needs and has effectively countered skepticism about what\u2019s at stake in Ukraine\u2019s fight.\n\n\u201cThe Ambassador has made a point to extend her visits beyond the Beltway and across the political spectrum. Like today\u2019s visit to Louisville, or her recent visit to Ohio, where she toured a facility that manufactures Strykers and Abrams tanks to support Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive.\n\n\u201cShe certainly has a lot on her plate, and I am very grateful that she has taken the time to speak with us today.\n\n\u201cLadies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to present the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Oksana Markarova.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=83E7E7DE-3133-45A7-AB37-0C56E2D0298E"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1442119721323252, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}