New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Statement Condemning President Vladimir Putin’s Decision to Recognize Independence of Eastern Ukrainian Territories.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release February 22, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Statement Condemning President Vladimir Putin’s Decision to Recognize Independence of Eastern Ukrainian Territories. TEL AVIV, ISRAEL -- Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of two territories in the Donbass region of Ukraine as independent: "I condemn Putin’s blatant assault on the freedom and security of Ukraine, a sovereign and independent country. We will seek unity where Putin seeks to divide, and we will speak the truth to counter his disinformation," said Rep. Espaillat. "After WWII, people from across the world came together to create the United Nations, headquartered in New York. The United Nations was formed to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights. Importantly, our international system is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all nations. The UN Charter specifically states that countries 'shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.' Vladimir Putin’s desire to return to an era of conquest and violence, threatens the security of Ukraine, Europe, and the world at large.  "We must protect the UN Charter’s values and principles to ensure that all people can live in a peaceful world with freedom and equality. Appeasement policies did not stop authoritarian dictators with expansionist views in the twentieth century, and they will not stop them now. We must work together with our allies to hold Putin and the Russian government accountable, prevent the escalation of conflict, and preserve our international legal system," Espaillat concluded. Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.