We, the undersigned, call for swift action by The U.S. Congress to provide Ukraine PAC3 - Patriot Missile Defense Systems.

The world has been watching the Russian attack on Ukraine in horror. And even as the world marvels at Ukraine’s ability to stop a power several times its size, Ukraine needs your help to protect its sky.

In the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the United States, Russia, and Britain committed “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine” and “to refrain from the threat or use of force” against the country. Those assurances played a key role in persuading the Ukrainian government in Kyiv to give up what amounted to the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal, consisting of some 1,900 strategic nuclear warheads. But one of the guarantors of Ukrainian sovereignty already annexed large territories of Crimean Peninsula, invaded Donbass region and killed thousands of Ukrainians since 2014. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion, bombarding Ukrainian cities, including Kharkov, Kyiv, Chernigov, Zhytomyr, Odessa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk with rocket strikes.

Ukraine, aware of the threat for years, has sought to obtain some defenses to avert the bloodbath that would follow. American government already sent to Kyiv Javelin anti-tank missiles, launchers, and other military hardware and Ukrainian army has made a very good use of it. Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have demonstrated unprecedented courage in fighting against heavily armed Russian troops. Ukrainian Army have shown that weaponry like Javelins is in good hands, and it helps young democracy survive the deadly attacks.

Ukraine’s resistance has complicated Russia’s efforts to seize the country. But the more protracted this war becomes, the more catastrophic it will be. Russia’s move into cities has opened a deadlier chapter, as the urban warfare threatens civilians, and experts said that Ukraine’s resistance may only push Russia to intensify its assault. Russia is increasingly switching to its historical use of artillery, rockets, and missiles to pummel a helpless civilian population.

The technology that can protect Ukrainian cities from Russian bombs exists. The Patriot missile defense system has been in use for decades. It has been supplied to countries all over the world. And yet the people of Ukraine have been refused in their decade long effort to obtain Patriots. Ukrainians were told that giving them Patriots would be a “provocation.” Now that an invasion is underway, perhaps Congress can stop worrying about provocations and send systems that can save thousands of civilians in Ukraine.

Ukraine is being subjected to increasingly sophisticated missile attacks and we are urging The U.S.  Congress to give the Ukrainian people a chance to live and expedite the supply of Patriot missile defense systems. This action could make the difference between the existence or genocide of the Ukrainian people.