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Ranking Members Himes, Meeks, Smith: Trump Has Abandoned Ukraine; Congress Must Act

Washington, October 19, 2026
Washington, DC --U.S. Representatives Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued a statement following a call between President Zelenskyy and a bipartisan group of Members of Congress.

“The United States Congress stands strongly and unequivocally with Ukraine. Russia's continued campaign of war crimes and its slaughtering of innocent civilians, aided by the Trump Administration’s pro-Putin agenda, demands urgent and forceful action from Congress to reaffirm that support.

“While Donald Trump has made clear that he is abandoning Ukraine in favor of Putin, we remain committed to working urgently with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to advance legislation to compel the Trump Administration to deliver to Ukraine the security, economic, and intelligence support it needs to defend its people from Putin’s brutal and illegal invasion. We are also committed to working together to advance legislation to fix the Graham Act and prevent President Trump from unilaterally importing Russian energy and undermining U.S. national security interests.

“The Trump Administration has shown it cannot be trusted to do the right thing in support of Ukraine. Sapping Ukraine’s ability to defend itself will not result in a just and durable peace and is therefore both immoral and counter to the interests of the United States and our partners and allies. Congress must act and do what this administration refuses to do: Stand up for Ukraine, defend America's interests, and make clear that autocratic aggression will not be rewarded.”