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Bay Area Congressman Calls for Increased Support for Ukraine

DUBLIN (KPIX) -- East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell is urging the Biden Administration to do more to help Ukraine. He just returned from visiting with refugees near the Ukrainian border.

"You just left with the sense of 'can we do more to make sure that these people can return to their home?'" said Rep. Swalwell, who represents the 15th Congressional District.

Swalwell witnessed the humanitarian crisis as he greeted a trainload of Ukrainian refugees pulling into the Hungary bordertown of Zahony.

"It was just so heartbreaking to see so many women and children getting off of a train as the men stayed in Ukraine to fight the Russians. And I saw moms, just like my wife, with young kids trying to usher them to a safer place but with just one big suitcase and a lot of uncertainty and anxiety as they went into a new country," Swalwell said.

The Zahony trip was part of a five-day visit to Eastern Europe. Swalwell led a group of bi-partisan lawmakers from the House Intelligence Committee. They wanted to show their support for the refugees and volunteers.

"It was a little bit refreshing to see people at the train station as they got off the train and the anxiety they had. And then, about an hour later, to see them again sitting in the central kitchen area, having a warm-cooked meal prepared by volunteers. And you could see that, for just a moment, they felt a little bit better and saw a little bit more hope," Swalwell recalled.

While Hungary has done a good job of providing humanitarian relief, Swalwell and fellow lawmakers say they also went there to urge the Hungarian government to provide military aid.

"Other countries around them have done more as it relates to providing lethal aid to the Ukrainians. The Hungarians have not yet done that as a NATO ally. I wanted to assure them we're all in this together. We need their help and hopefully it'll happen soon," Swalwell said.

Swalwell is also pushing the White House to do more, from accepting more refugees into the U.S. to coordinating the delivery of the fighter jets the Ukrainians have asked for. He also wants to apply more economic sanctions against Russia.

"As to the question of whether the U.S. is doing enough, I think we can do more. As Vladimir Putin goes up the ladder of atrocities, I think we have to go up the ladder ourselves of what lethal aid we can provide to the Ukrainians and then to really flood the zone with weapons that they can use to push the Russians back," Swalwell said.

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