PAC condemns Russian invasion of Ukraine
and stands in solidarity with Ukrainian people

The Polish American Congress vehemently condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in their fight against an authoritarian regime that has engaged in unprovoked violence against their country. We fear that this attack on Ukraine will destabilize the entire region and will cause a great humanitarian crisis.

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The images of explosions and fighting throughout Ukraine must serve as evidence that the current regime in Moscow is committed to rearranging the security architecture in Europe through any means necessary. It is a continuation of aggressive actions that started in 2008 against Georgia, 2014 against Ukraine, military infiltration of Belarus and now a full-scale invasion against Ukraine. The U.S and its allies must respond by adopting the harshest possible sanctions and measures that will make it clear that this blatant disregard for international norms will no longer be tolerated.

We applaud the decisions of the Biden administration to reinforce the NATO presence in Poland, the Baltics and other NATO eastern-flank allies. We support further military aid to the region. We see now how far the Putin regime is willing to go to impose its will on independent countries in the region. Consequently, we call on the Biden administration to strongly consider the permanent presence of U.S troops in Poland and other eastern-flank NATO allies that wish such presence in order to deter Russia.

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PAC Statement on Situation in Ukraine
February 22, 2022

In this statement, the Polish American Congress unequivocally condemns Russian recognition of rebel entities in Eastern Ukraine (officially announced on February 21, 2022) and warns that the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine would threaten the security of Poland and the Baltic states (all members of the EU and NATO) and create humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Poland and other neighboring countries. Subsequently, the PAC urges the Biden administration to provide the meaningful military aid to Ukraine, enact the toughest possible sanctions against Russian financial and energy sectors and re-affirm the US commitment to support Poland and other NATO allies in the region.

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Implement a Meaningful Approach to Deter Kremlin Aggression Against Ukraine
February 2, 2022

In this joint statement, the Polish American Congress (PAC) and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) call upon the US administration to take proactive, measurable actions to deter the Kremlin from further invasion against Ukraine and hybrid warfare launched against other countries in the Central and East European region.

Among specific preemptive measures, this statement lists (a) Nord Stream 2 sanctions and (b) the removal of Russia from the SWIFT international financial transaction system. This statement includes also a call to adhere to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. Note: This agreement, signed by the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, includes security assurances in case of territorial threats or use of force against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

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Upcoming Meetings on Ukraine Should Counter Kremlin Revanchism
January 6, 2022

This statement was released by the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC), a coalition representing more than 20 million American voters with heritage links to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia. The CEECA members express here their alarm about the demands of security guarantees as articulated by the Russian Foreign Ministry before the host of upcoming meetings (bilateral United States-Russia Strategic Stability Dialog meeting on January 10 in Geneva, the NATO-Russia Council talks on January 12 in Brussels, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe dialog on January 13 in Vienna).

Concerned about the potential implications for security in the CEECA region of interest, this release asks the Biden administration to “decide nothing about European security without the presence of the nations concerned.”

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Letter from the PAC President Frank Spula to the US President Joseph R. Biden
December 22, 2021

Expressing deep concerns about nearly 200,000 Russian troops threatening to invade Ukraine and the Russian diplomatic offensive aiming to rewrite the existing “security architecture” in Eastern Europe, this timely letter puts forth several suggestions for the meaningful action needed to preserve peace and democracy in the region:
– The United States and NATO should provide Ukraine with military and financial aid to ensure its independent existence and prevent escalation of the conflict to the neighboring countries.
– Full sanctions should be imposed on Nord Stream 2 pipeline to ensure Europe’s energy security and prevent blackmailing threats of cutting gas supplies.
– The Russian draft of the treaty with NATO should be dismissed because it aims to prevent NATO’s military assistance to Poland and other countries admitted to NATO after May 1997.

Two overarching takeaways of the letter combine the reminder of the past failures of the policy of appeasement and assertion that countries on the eastern NATO flank must be assured that their voice will be fully heard in any future discussions of the region’s security.