Statement by Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine:
What a great honor for me to be able to represent my country before the august body … We remember the Orange Revolution …as we know Ukraine's leaders proved incapable of delivering on the promise of democratic revolution… We saw reforms put in place only to be rolled back, we saw oligarchs uninterested in change ousted from power only to return… And the bright flame of hope for a new Ukraine snuffed out, he said.
Nearly a decade later, that flame of hope was reignited by thousands of brave Ukrainians, storming the Maidan, demanding a revolution of dignity. The world was transfixed… and the world was horrified, when peaceful patriots were met by violence, their blood and courage delivering to the Ukrainian people a second chance for freedom. Their sacrifice, to put it bluntly, is now your obligation. You have an historic opportunity to be remembered as the Rada that finally and permanently laid in place the pillars of freedom that your people have longed for, yearned for, for so many years. I need not tell you this is a joint responsibility. The president, the prime minister, the members of this august body, all of you must put aside parochial differences and make real this revolution of dignity.
… this is all within your power, this is in your hands you can bend the arc of history of this nation, toward greater justice and opportunity for the Ukrainian people. And you can do it now …all that one has to do is to look at the photos of Heavenly Hundred, at that spontaneously erected monument… just look at the photographs. You see the photos of young men in their early 20ies to those in their early 80ies, everyone came to join in common purpose – a revolution of dignity.
The whole world is watching you, that’s a fact, because there are hopes for your success as you fight for the unrelenting aggression of the Kremlin, and … corruption will have impact on them. Let me be crystal clear - the United States does not, will not, never will recognize Russia's attempt to annex Crimea. And Russia continues to send its troops, its mercenaries across the border. Separatists forces are organized, commended and directed by Moscow.
America and Europe now stand together united in our commitment to impose tough economic sanctions on Russia. United States and Europe will maintain pressure until Moscow fulfills its commitments under the Minsk agreements, he stressed.