Ukrainian Parliament Awards U.S. Bipartisan Delegations in Kyiv

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — With Honor applauds the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, Russian Stefanchuk, for awarding the Ukrainian Certificate of Merit to the following Members of Congress who were a part of a bipartisan delegation to the Yalta European Strategy Annual Meeting in Kyiv. The recipients were:

For Country Caucus Founding Republican Co-Chair Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska’s 2nd District
For Country Caucus Member and former Vice Chair Rep. Salud Carbajal of California’s 24th District
Member of the U.S. House bipartisan Ukraine Caucus Rep. Jim Costa of California’s 21st District
For Country Caucus Founding Democratic Co-Chair Rep. Jimmy Panetta of California’s 19th District

Additionally, the Ukrainian Certificate of Merit was awarded to With Honor Co-Founder and CEO Rye Barcott, and retired Republican Senator, Rob Portman of Ohio, who founded the Senate Ukraine Caucus and traveled to Ukraine with a separate bipartisan delegation organized by With Honor Institute.

“These American leaders are working across party lines for the fight for democracy,” said Member of Parliament Sasha Ustinova. “The For Country Caucus of bipartisan U.S. military veterans in Congress and the Ukrainian caucuses in the U.S. House and Senate have been our biggest champions since day one of this illegal Russian invasion.”

In Kyiv the bipartisan delegations met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, where they heard first-hand about the major impact U.S. and European support for Ukraine has made on the frontlines, and the importance of additional military and humanitarian support to win the war.

The bipartisan delegations later visited with frontline medic and military units on the eastern front, and toured civilian sites attacked by Russia, including the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital. Russian missiles have struck more than 250 hospitals since the beginning of its illegal invasion.

“This trip profoundly affected me,” said U.S. Representative Don Bacon, who also served as a general in the U.S. Air Force. “We don’t bow to dictators. We don’t let them invade their neighbors and take territory. We stand up and fight alongside democracies around the world.”

“I was proud to represent the United States at the YES Conference and grateful for the opportunity to affirm directly to President Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s top officials that the United States still has their back in their fight to repel Russia’s illegal invasion. I am consistently heartened by the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people, whether their soldiers on the front lines or the families pushing forward in their everyday lives even in the face of flagrant targeting of civilians by Vladimir Putin. There remains bipartisan and steadfast support in Congress for helping Ukraine win its war against Russian aggression and defend its democracy, its people, and the future of free peoples all over the globe,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal, who is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and formerly served as Vice Chair of the For Country Caucus.

“We were able to see and feel firsthand the fortitude and resilience of the Ukrainian people and how support from the United States is positively impacting both their bravery on the battlefield and morale,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan. “That type of experience allowed us to literally and figuratively stand with our democratic ally against Russia, and demonstrate our commitment to our shared values of freedom, self-determination, and democracy.”

The Founder of the U.S. Senate Ukraine Caucus, Retired Senator Rob Portman concluded: “I was proud to be back in Ukraine where the bravery of the troops and resilience of the people is inspiring. Now is not the time to cave to the unprovoked, illegal, and brutal invasion by Russia, but rather to stand behind our friends and allies in Ukraine.”

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