{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-calls-on-president-elect-trump-to-stand-against-russian-aggression-support-nato-ukrainian-sovereignty-with-bipartisan-group-of-senators", "Menendez Calls on President-elect Trump to Stand Against Russian Aggression, Support NATO, Ukrainian Sovereignty With Bipartisan Group of Senators", "2016-12-08", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Robert Menendez", "M000639", "www.menendez.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Menendez Calls on President-elect Trump to Stand Against Russian Aggression, Support NATO, Ukrainian Sovereignty With Bipartisan Group of Senators \n\t\t\t\n\t Menendez Calls on President-elect Trump to Stand Against Russian Aggression, Support NATO, Ukrainian Sovereignty With Bipartisan Group of Senators \n\t\n\t\t Call for increased political, economic, and military support for Ukraine \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\tThursday, December 8, 2016\n\t\n\t\n\t  WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Bob Menendez joined a bipartisan group of 27 senators calling on President-elect Donald Trump to continue America\u2019s tradition of support for the people of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.\u00a0\r\n\u201cIn light of Russia\u2019s continued aggression and repeated refusal to respect Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity and sovereign right to choose its own destiny, we also renew our call for the United States to increase political, economic, and military support for Ukraine,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cThis includes defensive lethal assistance as part of a broader effort to help Ukrainians better defend themselves, deter future aggression, and implement key structural reforms.\u00a0 Similarly, we believe that Russia\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea should never be accepted, nor should we lift sanctions imposed on Russia for its behavior in eastern Ukraine until key provisions of the Minsk Agreement are met.\u00a0 Accordingly, U.S. leadership on maintaining such transatlantic sanctions should remain a priority.\u201d\r\nFull text of the senators\u2019 letter:\r\nDecember 8, 2016\r\nPresident-elect Donald J. Trump\r\nTrump-Pence Transition Team\r\n1717 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW\r\nWashington, DC 20006\r\nDear President-elect Trump,\r\nAs Members and friends of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, advocates for a strong US-Ukrainian relationship, and backers of NATO, we write to convey strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States Senate.\u00a0 We look forward to working with you and your new administration to support our ally Ukraine and help it secure a peaceful and democratic future.\r\nAlmost three years after Russia\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea and military aggression in eastern Ukraine, daily ceasefire violations along the line of contact make a mockery of the Minsk Agreement and demonstrate that this conflict in the heart of Europe is far from over.\u00a0 Russia has yet to withdraw its heavy weapons and continues its sabotage and subversion efforts.\u00a0 It has not halted its disinformation war against Ukraine and the West, nor stopped its economic and political pressure aimed at undermining the Ukrainian government.\u00a0 According to conservative estimates from the United Nations, approximately 10,000 people have been killed, over 20,000 wounded, and more than two million internally displaced since the conflict began.\u00a0 And, unfortunately, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observers still do not have full, unimpeded access to the Ukrainian-Russian border while Russia continues to supply weapons, equipment, and personnel to the separatists.\r\nQuite simply, Russia has launched a military land-grab in Ukraine that is unprecedented in modern European history.\u00a0 These actions in Crimea and other areas of eastern Ukraine dangerously upend well-established diplomatic, legal, and security norms that the United States and its NATO allies painstakingly built over decades \u2013 a historically bipartisan global security framework that has greatly served US security and economic interests.\u00a0 We believe it is in our vital national security interest to uphold these norms and values, and prevent America\u2019s commitment to its allies and ideals from being called into question.\r\nIn light of Russia\u2019s continued aggression and repeated refusal to respect Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity and sovereign right to choose its own destiny, we also renew our call for the United States to increase political, economic, and military support for Ukraine.\u00a0 This includes defensive lethal assistance as part of a broader effort to help Ukrainians better defend themselves, deter future aggression, and implement key structural reforms.\u00a0 Similarly, we believe that Russia\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea should never be accepted, nor should we lift sanctions imposed on Russia for its behavior in eastern Ukraine until key provisions of the Minsk Agreement are met.\u00a0 Accordingly, US leadership on maintaining such transatlantic sanctions should remain a priority.\r\nWe look forward to continuing the tradition of bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress, which has authorized meaningful assistance programs through the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, and other pieces of legislation.\u00a0 We stand ready to work with you and your new administration on strengthening the US-Ukrainian relationship and look forward to learning more about your plans to engage on this important issue.\r\nSincerely,\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPress Contact\n\t\t\tTricia_Enright@menendez.senate.gov", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-calls-on-president-elect-trump-to-stand-against-russian-aggression-support-nato-ukrainian-sovereignty-with-bipartisan-group-of-senators"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6111258883029222, "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"}