Pelosi, Congressional Delegation Conclude Visit to United Kingdom
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the Congressional delegation concluded its visit to the United Kingdom:
"Our Congressional delegation came to the United Kingdom to reaffirm our nations' enduring special relationship and further deepen the bonds between our parliaments. In all our discussions, our delegation expressed how the special relationship remains crucial in the fight against anti-democratic forces around the globe.
"Speaker Lindsay Hoyle extended to our delegation the privilege of an official welcome to the House of Commons and then a ceremonial luncheon with senior Members of Parliament. The focus of our discussions was the perilous situation in Ukraine.
"Next, we met with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and discussed the determination of allied nations to counter Russian aggression, a central theme of the Munich Security Conference. We agreed that we must act together to impose swift, severe consequences for Russia's hostilities against Ukraine.
"Our delegation also held additional bilateral meetings with senior British leaders. In a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, we discussed the importance of the NATO alliance and transatlantic partnership. In addition, our delegation underscored the importance of the Northern Ireland Protocol and protecting the Good Friday Accords.
"Today, we met with Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer and other Members of Parliament. We discussed the transatlantic response to the situation in Ukraine, COVID-19 response and recovery, increasing economic prosperity for the people of the U.S. and the U.K., and the imperative of transitioning to diversified green energy solutions.
"As part of our visit, our delegation met with a dedicated and courageous group of activists for human rights in China, recognizing the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party's decades-long campaign of repression against the Chinese people.
"During our visit to London, President Putin further escalated his aggression against Ukraine. In recognizing Donetsk and Luhansk as ‘independent,' he offered a thinly veiled attempt to mask what is a clear attack by Russia on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. And today, he authorized Russian forces to deploy into these two regions. I applaud President Biden for his forceful leadership today in imposing the first tranche of swift and severe sanctions: fully blocking two Russian financial institutions and five Russian elites, and taking a strong step to cut off the Russian government from accessing American investors and markets. As the Biden Administration has stated, these actions were closely coordinated with our allies and partners, and we will continue to work in coordination with them to impose an even steeper cost for Putin to pay should Russia further invade Ukraine.
"As was clear throughout the entirety of our travels: if Putin's goal was to divide allied nations, he only served to unite and strengthen the NATO alliance. The United States and our transatlantic allies stand together in our unwavering commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine and to countering Russian aggression.
"Following our extensive series of meetings in Israel, Germany, and the United Kingdom, we return with great confidence in our partnerships abroad and inspired to continue working to strengthen security, economy and democratic governance for people around the world."