1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

The meeting today with President Zelensky with an utter embarrassment for the United States. Never before has our country looked so cowardly, inhospitable, and craven. It is the truth that Russia has been encroaching on Ukrainian sovereignty since at least 2014, seized Crimea unilaterally, and fully invaded 2022. Ukraine had done nothing other than reject Russian control of its government and insist on its independence from Russia. Russia rapidly invaded the country, murdered civilians, and abducted children. None of this is in dispute. Ukraine and Zelensky have repeated expressed gratitude for the support the United States have given. Yet the president invited him to a media spectacle in the Oval Office, berate him in front of the media and dozens of onlookers, and demand his obedience. All the while the president and vice president are claiming that is the United States alone, and not the blood of Ukrainians, that have kept Putin at bay. And while diplomacy is ideal, he is trying tell us that he tried that path, and knows Putin will not deal honestly or stick to agreements. Congress should make a statement that the United States understands the facts - that Russia invaded Ukraine and Ukraine deserves its sovereignty - and the President should apologize for his terrible behavior. The United States should support defenders of freedom against autocrats and aggressors, not become a bully themselves.