THE VICE PRESIDENT: 

Thank you.  What a great honor for me to

be able to represent my country before such an august audience.
Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Chairman, members of the
Rada, ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply honored to be invited to
speak to you today at a moment marked by great opportunity, as well
as great uncertainty for the people of Ukraine.  The stakes for your
country and the expectations of your people have never been higher
because Ukraine, as you know better than I, has been here before. 
In the West, as here we remember, the Orange Revolution -- young
men and women who filled the Maidan a decade ago demanding that
their voices and their votes both be respected.  They refused to back
down in the face of rigged elections, and they succeeded.
But as history tells us and shows, and 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.  Reformers persecuted, thrown in prison as political
retribution.  And the bright flame of hope for a new Ukraine snuffed
out by the pervasive poison of cronyism, corruption, and kleptocracy. 
Nearly a decade later, that flame of hope was reignited by thousands
of brave Ukrainians, some of you in this room, storming the Maidan,
demanding a Revolution of Dignity.  The world was transfixed.  This
time they were not going to be denied the future that so many of your
country have longed for, for so long.
And the world was horrified when peaceful patriots were met by
violence.  They stayed at the Maidan day and night, facing down the
Berkut in riot gear.  For the first time since the Middle Ages, the bells
of St. Mary [*sic] raised the alarm, calling the citizens of Ukraine to
reinforce their brothers and sisters on the Maidan.  Tens of
thousands heeded the call bringing with them food, clothing,
blankets, medical supplies, and their support.  As the world watched
-- and I was literally on the phone with your former President urging
restraint -- as the world watched, the final assault came.  Amidst fire
and ice, snipers on rooftops, the Heavenly Hundred paid the ultimate
price of patriots the world over.  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 a 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 the Revolution of
Dignity.
My country, too, was born of revolution.  But the battle for our
independence was underway well before the first shots were fired.  It
began when men of conscience stood up in legislative bodies
representing every region in what was then Colonial America --
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, very different interests -- and
declared in each of their regions the inherent rights of free people in
different documents, in different language -- but the inherent right to
be free.
They took a vast continent and a diverse people -- what John Adams,
one of our Founding Fathers and future Presidents once said --
called “an unwieldy machine”.  And they molded that unwieldy
machine into a united representative democracy where people saw
themselves as Americans first and citizens of their region second.
But our union remained imperfect, our democracy incomplete. 
Seventy years later we went through a second testing during the
American Civil War, which nearly tore our still young country
asunder.  Winning on the field of battle wasn’t sufficient to unite our
country.  To end slavery and the regional differences we had, to
grant former slaves citizenships and rights, the United States
Congress assembled -- had to amend our Constitution. 
Individual members of that Congress lost their jobs standing up to do
the right thing.  Everyone took real political risks to overcome
entrenched opposition for the good of achieving a truly United States
of America.
In the end, it came down to extraordinary patriots -- individuals
putting their personal needs behind the needs of their nation, their
narrow interest behind unity. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe the President, the Prime Minister,

every member of this body now faces a similar test of courage. 
To quote an early American patriot, Thomas Paine, “These are the
times that try men’s souls.”  These are the times that try men’s souls.
This is your moment.  This is your responsibility.  Each of you -- if
you’ll forgive me for speaking to you this way in your body -- each of
you has an obligation to seize the opportunity that the sacrifices
made in the Maidan, the sacrifices of the Heavenly Hundred.  Each of
you has an obligation to answer the call of history and finally build a
united, democratic Ukrainian nation that can stand the test of time.
Edmund Burke said it best in 1774, speaking to his constituency in
Bristol, England.  Here’s what he said:  “Parliament is a deliberative
assembly of one nation, with one interest -- that of the whole; where
not local purpose, not local prejudice ought to guide, but the general
good.”
I respectfully suggest this is a standard for which each of you will be
judged.  This is the standard by which your grandchildren and great
grandchildren, your progeny will judge whether or not you had the
moral courage to put the general good above local prejudice.  And
this is all within your power.  It’s within your hands.  Nobody else’s --
yours.
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. 
I’ve had the great privilege and opportunity afforded to me by all of
you over the past two years to meet with representatives
representing all sectors of this country -- east and west, including the
illegally occupied Crimea -- from all walks of life -- civil society,
members of this body, your military leaders, your clergy.  I’ve met
with souls who stood on the Maidan -- some of you are now in this
chamber -- a place which I visited yesterday.  All one has to do is
look at the photographs of the Heavenly Hundred at that
spontaneously erected monument where I stood yesterday.  Just look
at the photographs.  This is not hyperbole.  I’m not trying to be unduly
-- this is real.  As a foreigner, all I have to do is look at the
photographs.  See the photographs of young men as early as their
early 20s to those in their early 80s.  Every one of them were joined
in common purpose, a Revolution of Dignity.
My father had an expression he repeated a thousand times growing
up:  Every man and woman is entitled to be treated with dignity. 
Everyone.  That's what your new revolution was about:  dignity.
And those martyrs still give voice to the timeless ideals and the
timeless ideas, the universal values that unite free people all around
the world.  I visited every part of this world.  There’s fewer than a
handful of countries I’ve not been in.  I’ve traveled over 1.3 million
miles just since being Vice President.  The whole world is watching
you.  That's a fact.  They're watching you because their hopes for
your success as you fight both the unrelenting aggression of the
Kremlin and the cancer of corruption will impact on them. 
In both these struggles you have the unwavering support of the
United States of America and the American people -- including nearly
1 million proud Ukrainian Americans.  You have the united support of
Europe -- Western, Central, and Eastern Europe -- all invested in
your democratic success because your success goes to the heart of
an enduring commitment to a Europe whole, free, and at peace.  If
you fail, the experiment fails.  It is no exaggeration to say that the
hopes of freedom-loving people the world over are with you because
so much rides on your fragile experiment with democracy
succeeding.
It’s equally important, by the way, for aggressors around the world to
understand that they can't use coercion, bribery, sending tanks and
men across a border to extinguish the dreams and hopes of a
people.  For if you succeed, that message is sent around the world. 
The President asked me back in the late winter, 2009, to come to
Europe to speak at the Munich Conference to lay out the principles
that would guide our administration; the fundamental elements of
American foreign policy under the Obama-Biden administration.  And
what I said then I will repeat now.  I said, we will not recognize any
nation having a sphere of influence.  Sovereign states have the right
to make their own decisions and choose their own alliances.  Period. 
Period.  (Applause.)
In the 21st century, nations cannot -- and we cannot allow them to
redraw borders by force.  These are the ground rules.  And if we fail
to uphold them, we will rue the day.  Russia has violated these
ground rules and continues to violate them.  Today Russia is
occupying sovereign Ukrainian territory.  Let me be crystal clear: 
The United States does not, will not, never will recognize Russia’s
attempt to annex the Crimea.  (Applause.)  It’s that saying -- that
simple.  There is no justification.
And as Russia continues to send its thugs, its troops, its mercenaries
across the border, Russian tanks and missiles still fill the Donbas. 
Separatist forces are organized, commanded and directed by
Moscow -- by Moscow.  (Applause.)
So the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine against
Russian aggression.  We're providing support to help and train and
assist your security forces, and we’ve relied on and rallied the rest of
the world to Ukraine’s cause. 
I have spent hours -- as the President has -- talking to heads of state
in Europe and around the world, making it clear that one of the tests
for whether or not they are our allies is are they allied with your
purpose.
America and Europe now stand together united in our commitment to
impose tough economic sanctions on Russia.  And while Russian
aggression persists, the cost imposed on Moscow will continue to
rise.  The false propaganda that the Kremlin is disseminating in an
attempt to undermine Ukraine and fracture Europe’s resolve will not
work.  No one should mistake saber rattling and bombast for
strength.  Let me say that again, no one should mistake saber rattling
and bombast for real strength.
We're taking steps to bolster Europe’s resilience to Russian coercive
tactics.  We are strengthening NATO as I speak, improving energy
security as I speak, and attempting to help spur an economic revival
throughout Europe.
The United States and Europe will maintain pressure until Moscow
fulfills its commitments under the Minsk Agreement.  While there has
been some progress in deescalating the violence, there can be no
sanctions relief unless and until Russia meets all of its commitments
under the Minsk Agreement.  (Applause.)
And I might add parenthetically, I don't think the Russian people fully
understand what Putin is doing.  That's why he spends so much time
hiding at home the presence of Russian forces here in your country. 
Heavy weapons must be withdrawn from the frontlines.  The OSCE
must be granted full, unencumbered access.  Russia must press the
separatists to hold elections according to Ukrainian law and OSCE
standards and disavow the illegal election that's just taken place. 
Hostages held by Russia and its proxies must be returned.  Russian
troops must leave.  The Ukrainian side of the border must be
returned to Ukrainian control.  Unless all -- if they do all of that, and
only if they do, Ukraine also has a responsibility it still has to fulfill --
including amnesty for those who have not committed capital
offenses; granting devolved administration to the Donbas.  But we’ve
made it clear to Russia and the world that continued delay and foot-
dragging is unacceptable.  That includes elections in the Donbas. 
They can only go forward as stipulated under the Minsk Agreement. 
Full access to the media must be provided.  Ukrainian political parties
allowed to compete openly.  Full and unobstructed OSCE election
monitoring.  Full voting rights for the people displaced from their
homes in the Donbas and living elsewhere in Ukraine.  And all
weapons contained and kept under OSCE supervision.  That only
happens if Russia lives up to its commitments, if Russia does its
part.  If it does, then you must follow through with yours because this
is the best chance to keep Donbas in Ukraine, end the conflict, and
begin restoring Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
(Applause.) 
It’s hard.  There’s nothing easy about what you have to do.  There’s
nothing easy.  The pressure you will all get will be immense. 

I’d like to also speak directly to the people in the Donbas.  The
alternative to what I just said is to continue to live under separatists
thugs, criminals who deny humanitarian aid, keep out organizations
like Doctors Without Borders, stealing lifesaving medicine to sell on
the black market.  That's not a future.  That's not a future I believe
any Ukrainian wants for their children.
That's why the Minsk Agreement needs to be implemented in full. 
And truly free and fair elections are exactly what the Kremlin fears
the most.  It’s not just your territory they covet; it’s your success that
they fear.  For if free elections occur, and the people determine, as I
am confident they will, that they want to remain and integral part of
Ukraine, that they are Ukrainians first, that's what Russia fears. 
That’s what Putin fears.
Because as all of you know the struggle for Ukraine’s freedom is not
confined to the battlefields of the east.  Constitutional reform that
includes judicial reform and decentralization does not compromise
your sovereignty.  It enhances it.  It’s an important step to building a
strong, new nation.  And it’s important to the Ukrainian-European
future.
23:00

This issue of federalism is the thing that

almost prevented our nation from coming into
being.  Autonomous independent states, their
determination to have their own police forces,
their determination to have their education
system, to have their own government under
the united Constitution. 
But in addition, you also have a battle, a historic battle against
corruption.  Ukraine cannot afford for the people to lose hope again. 
The only thing worse than having no hope at all is having hopes rise
and see them dashed repeatedly on the shoals of corruption.
And if the people resign themselves to exploitation and corruption for
fear of losing whatever little they have left, that would be the death
knell for Ukrainian democracy.  We’ve taken so many critical steps
already.  But all of you know there’s more to do to finish this race. 
Not enough has been done yet. 
As the Prime Minister and the President heard me often say, I never
tell another man or another nation or another woman what’s in their
interest.  But I can tell you, you cannot name me a single democracy
in the world where the cancer of corruption is prevalent.  You cannot
name me one.  They are thoroughly inconsistent.  And it’s not
enough to set up a new anti-corruption bureau and establish a
special prosecutor fighting corruption.  The Office of the General
Prosecutor desperately needs reform.  The judiciary should be
overhauled.  The energy sector needs to be competitive, ruled by
market principles -- not sweetheart deals.  It’s not enough to push
through laws to increase transparency with regard to official sources
of income.  Senior elected officials have to remove all conflicts
between their business interest and their government
responsibilities.  Every other democracy in the world -- that system
pertains. 
Oligarchs and non-oligarchs must play by the same rules.  They have
to pay their taxes, settle their disputes in court -- not by bullying
judges.  That's basic.  That's how nations succeed in the 21st
century. 
Corruption siphons away resources from the people.  It blunts the
economic growth, and it affronts the human dignity.  We know that. 
You know that.  The Ukrainian people know that.  When Russia
seeks to use corruption as a tool of coercion, reform isn’t just good
governance, it’s self-preservation.  It’s in the national security interest
of the nation.
Russia is trying to undermine the stability and sovereignty of Ukraine
any way they can't, including squeezing Ukraine financially, trying to
undermine your economy.  They view that as a cheaper way than
sending tanks across the line of contact. 

So Ukraine must be strong enough to choose its own future,

strongly.  Strong defensively.  Strong economically.  A strong system
of democratic governance.
The United States is with you in this fight.  We understand we're with
you afar.  It’s much harder for you than it is for us.  We’ve stepped up
with official assistance to help backstop the Ukrainian economy. 
We’ve rallied the international community to commit a total of $25
billion in bilateral and multilateral financing to support Ukraine.  It
includes $2 billion in U.S. loan guarantees and the possibility of
more. 
Yesterday I announced almost $190 million in new American
assistance to help Ukraine fight corruption, strengthen the rule of law,
implement critical reform, bolster civil society, advance energy
security.  That brings our total of direct aid to almost $760 million in
direct assistance, in addition to loan guarantees since this crisis
broke out.  And that is not the end of what we're prepared to do if you
keep moving. 
But for Ukraine to continue to make progress and to keep the support
of the international community you have to do more, as well.  The big
part of moving forward with your IMF program -- it requires difficult
reforms.  And they are difficult.  Let me say parenthetically here, all
the experts from our State Department and all the think tanks, and
they come and tell you, that you know what you should do is you
should deal with pensions.  You should deal with -- as if it’s easy to
do.  Hell, we're having trouble in America dealing with it.  We're
having trouble.  To vote to raise the pension age is to write your
political obituary in many places. 
Don't misunderstand that those of us who serve in other democratic
institutions don't understand how hard the conditions are, how
difficult it is to cast some of the votes to meet the obligations
committed to under the IMF.  It requires sacrifices that might not be
politically expedient or popular.  But they're critical to putting Ukraine
on the path to a future that is economically secure.  And I urge you to
stay the course as hard as it is.  Ukraine needs a budget that’s
consistent with your IMF commitments.
Anything else will jeopardize Ukraine’s hard-won progress and drive
down support for Ukraine from the international community, which is
always tenuous.  It’s always tenuous.  We keep pushing that support.
The Ukrainian people have long struggled to direct their own
destinies, to carve out a place besides the mighty Dnipro, to claim
their own identity, proud and distinct. 
A great poet Taras Shevchenko wrote verse after verse declaiming
the spirit of Ukraine, urging his fellow Ukrainians rise up and claim
their liberty.  His poem “The Testament” ends with this reflection. 
And I quote:
Then, in the mighty family
Of all men that are free,
May be sometimes, very softly
You will speak of me?
May be sometimes very softly you will speak of me.  (Applause.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, I will speak of Ukraine.  I will speak of the
writer who took a beating on the Maidan to put him in the hospital. 
When asked why he sustained those injuries, why he was willing to
endure it, he wrote: “People who don’t protest injustice, they have no
future.” 
I will speak of the young mother who gave up a lucrative career
working on government reform.  And then when asked why, she
replied:  “I have two small children and I cannot fight in the east.  So
this is what I can do for my country.”  (Applause.)
I will speak up for the university student who handed out food on the
Maidan and later spoke about how those months changed.  She
said:  “Now people don’t think about what Ukraine can give them but
about what they can give Ukraine.”
I will speak of the men and women of this institution, a freely elected
representative body of the people.  I will speak of the sacrifices
you've made.  Nadiya Savchenko, the pioneering Ukrainian
helicopter pilot who was elected to the Rada, despite being unjustly
imprisoned in [sic] to this day.  I will speak of her bravery, and many
others will, as well.  I will speak about how it’s up to all of you to
ensure the people of this land, once and for all -- that mighty family of
all men that are free. 
Ukraine’s moment.  It may be your last moment.  Please for the sake
of the rest of us, selfishly on my part, don’t waste it.  Seize the
opportunity.  Build a better future for the people of Ukraine.  
There was a famous American politician when I was a young
senator.  He was in the other party -- very different ideology.  But he
said -- once in response to a question, he said, in your heart, in your
heart, you know it’s right.  In your heart, you know what’s right.  You
know.  Do it.  As long as you remain on that path, as long as you
honor the obligation to the Ukrainian people, you never have to worry
or doubt America and the United States will be by your side. 
I hesitated to come to make this speech.  The reason I did is not
because a lack of affection for your country.  But as a man who sat
where you're sitting for 36 years as a United States senator,
sometimes when a foreign leader would come to speak, I resented
when he or she appeared to lecture us.  I hope I don't come across
as hectoring or lecturing you.  Because that's not my intention.  I just
have -- as a fellow human being, I just have such hope in the promise
of what you could deliver.  It will spread far beyond the borders of
Ukraine.
I used to wonder as a young senator when I first stood up on the
Senate floor, and I’ve never been frightened of standing and
speaking, I stood up and all of a sudden I realized that my desk is
exactly where a senator, Daniel Webster, spoke from.  I mean this
sincerely.  And for the first and only time in my career, I was seized
with, my God, one of the great men in our history stood in this spot. 
And I wondered what it’d have been like to be in that first Congress
that gave us our freedom, created what I consider to be a great and
decent nation.  Well, that's where you are.  It’s not hyperbole.  That's
where each of you sit.  If you succeed, you will be the founders of the
first truly free, democratic, united Ukraine.  An awesome
responsibility, but what an incredible, incredible opportunity to serve
your country. 
Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak to you today.  May
God bless our two great nations and may God protect our troops. 
(Applause.)