U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today released the following statement:

“Today marks one year since Vladimir Putin’s Russia launched an unprovoked attack on its peaceful neighbor, Ukraine. Over the last year, Ukrainians have displayed resolve, fortitude, bravery and resourcefulness as they have defended their country against Russia’s brutal invasion.

“The United States, our NATO allies and democracies around the world have rallied to support Ukraine. When the invasion began on February 24, 2022, few imagined where we would be today. Putin erroneously believed that Kyiv would fall in a few days, and that the government of President Zelenskyy would flee. But Putin and his generals could not have been more wrong. The credit for Ukraine’s successful resistance goes mostly to the valor and resilience of Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers, but they have been helped in great measure by the unprecedented assistance provided by the United States and our allies in training, intelligence sharing, humanitarian and financial assistance, and significant amounts of modern military equipment. I was proud to support bipartisan efforts in Congress to approve more than $113 billion in assistance to Ukraine so far.

“For its brutal and unwarranted invasion, Russia has already suffered a huge price in blood and treasure: its military losses have been enormous; its economy battered by the effects of sanctions; its standing as a member of the world community damaged beyond repair. Its attempt to unilaterally upend the order that maintained peace and prosperity in Europe since 1945 must not succeed.

“Ukrainians have demonstrated that they do not want to be part of Russia: they want freedom, democracy and the right to choose their own path. It is for these principles that so many Americans take for granted that so many Ukrainians have laid down their lives. One year into their wholly justified defense of their freedoms, it is my hope that a way forward can be found to end this war while preserving Ukraine’s indisputable right to exist as a sovereign nation.”

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