Mayor Pat Moeller read the resolution that would be sent to the city’s elected delegation in Columbus and Ohio’s delegation in Washington, D.C. This is Hamilton’s first city council meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine.
“We’re reading this in memory of the young and old of Ukraine who have died thus far, and in honor and support of those who are fighting at this point in time. They’re fighting for freedom and democracy, and I believe when democracy is in peril, as it is now, all of us should be concerned in the United States; cities, villages, townships. I think we all should.”
According to the resolution, Hamilton calls Russia’s attack on Ukraine a “brutal invasion,” and the city “extensively supports” the Ukrainian people and “request (U.S.) elected officials put aside partisanship and aggressively impose sanctions and provide meaningful military support.”
Moeller recounted the years of Russian oppression against Ukraine since becoming an independent nation of the Soviet Union in 1991 and creating its own government as it established a new republic.
Putin’s aggression against Ukraine could be seen in 2014 when the Russian federation illegally seized Ukrainian land on the Crimean Peninsula and the Crimean parliament.
On Feb. 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military forces, under the guise of a “peacekeeping mission,” to enter the Ukrainian republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Two days later, Putin announced a so-called special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine and launched a full-scale invasion of the country.
“The people of Ukraine who have stayed and fought have shown tremendous courage but call for support from around the world,” according to Moeller. “States within the United States, as well as international countries, are expressing their support for Ukraine.”
Councilmember Joel Lauer said he appreciates the Ukranians’ “toughness” as they fight for their freedom. He stands by the people of Ukraine “going out into the streets and defending their freedom.”
“And I appreciate their leader, (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy), who stands up and says, ‘I’m not leaving, I’m fighting,’ and I think that’s something the whole world should see and use as a model,” Lauer said.
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