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Gov. JB Pritzker used Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyal’s visit to Chicago on Tuesday to criticize congressional Republicans who have blocked more aid to the war-torn country as it heads into a third year of fighting to stop a Russian invasion.
“The United States is a nation that leads the global fight for democracy and freedom. But will we continue to do that?” Pritzker asked during a downtown news conference, as he claimed that “half of the Republicans in Congress lack the courage and moral fortitude to stand up.”
“Here in Illinois, we will make no concessions in the face of Putin’s aggression and tyranny,” the governor said, criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Shmyhal’s visit comes as his country’s war effort in recent months has faced an increasingly divided US Congress, with some Republicans resisting efforts to continue providing billions of dollars in aid. .
After months of delay, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced this week that he would support separate House votes on assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, rather than voting on a broader foreign aid package. in one go.
The measure marks a step toward greater assistance for Ukraine, but also opens the door to modifications to the aid package that the Senate previously approved. Republicans have also toyed with the idea of providing some aid to Ukraine in the form of loans.
Throughout the war, Chicago’s large Ukrainian community has urged support for the country’s defense. Illinois was a symbolic first stop on Shmyhal’s trip to the United States, the prime minister said, as “the state that has shown exceptional support for the people of Ukraine.”
Illinois State Police Have Sent Bulletproof Vests to Ukraine; the General Assembly got rid of Russia’s pension funds; Chicago supported Ukrainian refugees; and Illinoisans have sent ambulances to the country, the governor said. Additionally, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago was the only Democrat to vote against emergency spending legislation intended to prevent a government shutdown last year, citing his lack of money for Ukraine.
Moving forward, Shmyhal called for more Illinois companies to stop doing business with Russia and for Illinois cities to help rebuild Ukraine.
“Ukraine will always remember the generosity of the people of Illinois,” Shmyhal said, adding: “It is impossible to overestimate the value of all the humanitarian assistance that the people of Chicago and the people of Illinois, including the Ukrainian diaspora, have provided to Ukraine to always. far.”
The visit also provided a personal moment for the governor and his sister, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who spoke at the news conference as the U.S. special representative to Ukraine.
The Pritzkers’ great-grandfather “fled kyiv 140 years ago to the United States to escape Jewish persecution at the time,” Penny Pritzker said, ultimately allowing the family to “build a life here in Chicago.” The family is now one of the richest in the United States.
The prime minister’s Tuesday itinerary also included a meeting with Special Envoy Pritzker and Chicago business leaders to discuss possibilities for future investments in Ukraine, he posted on the X social media platform.
After his appearance with the governor, Shmyhal was scheduled to speak at the University of Chicago about the impact of the war on Ukraine’s economy and the prospects for reconstruction.
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