Ukraine has endured thousands of casualties, atrocities from a sadistic enemy, the flight of millions of refugees, and vibrant cities reduced to rubble. But it must not only survive, it can and will defeat its invader.
That is the chief takeaway from Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who witnessed the unimaginable carnage last week – images that would haunt most of us – during her second trip to Ukraine with other members of the House Armed Services Committee: The valiant Ukrainian people cannot be forsaken by the American government and the Western allies who have a strategic interest in Russia’s defeat.
The congresswoman from New Jersey’s 11th District, a former helicopter pilot for the U.S. Navy and Russian Policy Officer, discussed her visit with Dave D’Alessandro of the Star-Ledger Editorial Board.
Q. Judging by your social feeds, it had to be a heart-wrenching trip.
A. It was. We all worry about the cost that the war is taking on the Ukrainian people. But this is their decision to make -- whether the blood of their people is worth their freedom. And they have chosen in the affirmative. It speaks to the dedication they have to a future free from Russian influence.
And when you see the atrocities that the Russians have committed, you see why they could never live under that kind of government. You see resilience, despite the attacks, the horrors, the executions of even elderly people with their hands tied behind their back who are shot in the head, the mass burials. And you realize that it has only strengthened the resolve of the Ukrainian people.
I also saw a fierce sense of pride from the mayors of Bucha and Irpin. Those are suburbs of Kyiv, and they held off the Russians to protect the city that Putin thought he would quickly encircle and take, but they were never able to.
Q. This was your second meeting with President Zelensky. How does he strike you as a leader?
A. He strikes me as someone who has really risen to the occasion. He’s consolidated the support of the people – which, frankly, I knew he was going to be able to do the first time I was in Ukraine, because of the dedication that the people there have to democracy and freedom and their antipathy toward the Russians. And he has garnered an incredible amount of support throughout the world.
In the heart of Kyiv, we learned about the destruction happening across the country, the war crimes committed, and how Ukrainians are fighting back. pic.twitter.com/4YkK1d8wbG
Q. What did you take from his purging of his senior staff last week, and what does it say about the stability of this government and its long record of corruption?
A. I spoke to him about that, which I don’t think he was thrilled about. But I told him, look, we are members of the House Armed Services Committee – who he had requested to meet with – and you are rarely going to find a more supportive audience. This is a bipartisan group of people who care very deeply about democracy, and many of us have worn the uniform and fought for it ourselves.
But given Ukraine’s history, it’s important that you not only fight for those ideals, but that you’re living up to them. I told them there were some concerns that he makes sure that he puts a prosecutor in place quickly. And I was assured that the committee had gone through vetting people, and that we would hear announcements very quickly, and that they will continue to work towards transparency. [Ed. note: He did.]
Zelensky with English subs on his reason for firing SBU head Bakanov and Prosecutor General Venediktova. In a nutshell: traitorous behavior on the part of employees working under both leaders. For both offices, nothing new, unfortunately. Ukraine has tried to clean house but… pic.twitter.com/hMFVj1aqD0
Q. Has there been enough debate on the amount of aid we are sending, and what the ceiling may be?
A. Well, certainly. It’s very important that we support them in this fight. This must be made clear to the American people: The only thing that is going to end Russian aggression is a Russian defeat, and we need to make sure that they don’t live to fight another day. By that, I mean we saw the aggression in Georgia, and we saw the aggression Crimea. And the pattern has been that they take some territory, go home, recover for a while, and then they come back and take more territory.
For most part, the support has come from places like Poland and the Baltics, which will be Putin’s next targets if Ukraine cannot hold him off. But by the weapons that we have provided for Ukraine, we have made this an incredibly costly war for Russia, their military hardware has been extended, and it has made it harder for them to consider prosecuting other wars for territory in the future.
So we have to make sure that when they make that calculation, they realize it would be too costly. Because as we have seen, this aggression doesn’t just affect a small region. Putin has now created a world hunger crisis. He’s created an energy crisis. Even as the world works through the grain deal to try to end some of these problems, he creates more chaos: Inexplicably, hours after the grain agreement was made, he sent missiles into Odessa, the port where the grain would be exported. So it’s important that Ukraine defeat Russia, and that we support them in doing so.
Moshchun is a small village that heroically resisted Russians and withstood their onslaught. But it paid a high price, 85% of homes were damaged by 🇷🇺 bombs. Restoration of Moshchun was the goal of UA Dream Foundation. The first step is to build 300 temporary modular houses pic.twitter.com/I7GnlV1wTw
Q. Is that realistic? Do you believe that they can defeat the Russians and expel them from the territories that they’ve seized, when the emerging consensus is that this will end in a negotiated settlement?
A. I certainly think that the Ukrainian people can achieve and will achieve victory. I don’t have a sense of what victory or what the sovereign territory of Ukraine will look like. But they have the capability.
You can’t underestimate people fighting for their homeland and their democracy. And I can tell you that the morale of the Russian troops is incredibly low, that they have largely been coming from underserved areas -- not from the middle class -- and I’m not sure that the Russian people have really come to terms with the toll that this is taking on their troops.
So the Russians are already feeling the pain of this from the sanctions, Ukraine has been weakening Russia in other ways, and we’ll see the effects of that for years to come. But certainly, it’s more than possible -- I would say likely -- that Ukraine will retake some of this territory.
“From our analysis, it becomes clear: business retreats and sanctions are catastrophically crippling the Russian economy.” https://t.co/GX89v2oCXl
Q. Can you assess the risk of the US becoming more directly involved, given the potential of Russia attacking supply lines or staging areas in Poland and other NATO countries?
A. Russia, to date, has been very careful not to get into a conflict directly with NATO. We have been very united in communicating to Russia that an attack on a NATO country would completely change the outlines of this war. And certainly, we would fulfill our Article 5 commitments to a NATO ally.
A member of our diplomatic staff in Ukraine said, “Never underestimate the ability of Putin to disappoint.” So certainly, I would never say never. But as things stand now, I would assess that it’s unlikely that Russia would attack beyond the borders of Ukraine and into NATO territory at this point.
To read more about my trip and how I am working to support Ukraine’s efforts, stall this war’s impact on the U.S., bring the costs down in NJ-11, and fend off the looming humanitarian crisis around the world, click here: https://t.co/aIdf6wIJHU
Q. We’d be remiss not to ask what you’ve taken from the Jan. 6 Committee’s investigation, and whether you as a former prosecutor share the impatience with the pace that Merrick Garland has set with indictments.
A. For quite some time, months now, I’ve been frustrated with the slow pace of the AG. That said, I’ve been incredibly impressed with the hearings and especially the members of the committee. It just stands in sharp contrast to the self-dealing of President Trump and his lack of concern for anyone other than himself, his lack of concern for our democratic principles, and for people who worked for him. The only focus he seems to have had is himself and what would be good for him.
Some members may not be coming back to Congress next year, because of their service on this committee and their service to their country. But their focus and desire to do their duty -- to put the future of our country above their self-interest -- has been impressive to me.
I am on my way back from Kyiv, Ukraine where I met with President Zelensky, top Ukrainian defense officials, mayors, and citizens. Here’s what I learned:
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