Rep. Watson Coleman Responds To Address By Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) issued the following statement in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Congress and President Biden’s subsequent remarks: 

Today, President Zelenskyy had a message for not just Congress, not just America, but the world. Throughout his address, Zelenskyy exuded poise and competence despite bearing the monumental burden of leading his nation through weeks of endless, horrific attacks. Appealing to democracy and freedom, Zelenskyy brought together Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as we recommitted ourselves to supporting Ukraine.  

While I do not support the enforcement a no-fly zone over Ukraine — as doing so would be tantamount to a declaration of war — I remain fully committed to providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainians and ensuring that those fleeing the war can find refuge in the United States. We must do everything in our power to uphold peace and human rights without escalating the conflict, causing further loss of life. I stand by President Biden’s policies of crippling Putin’s economy through sanctions and providing Ukraine with the resources it needs to defend itself from Russian aggression.  

As the war in Ukraine rages on, I wholeheartedly condemn Putin’s aggression and continue standing in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. I will always choose democracy over despotism.