On March 16, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, participated in a wide-ranging telephone conversation with Dmytro Razumkov, Chairman of Ukraine's Parliament (Verkhovna Rada). The call was facilitated by Andriy Futey, President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) who attended the teleconference as both a representative of the over 1.5 million Americans of Ukrainian descent, as well as a constituent of Sen. Portman. In 2019, Mr. Futey accompanied Sen. Portman's official visit to Ukraine, where he participated in the Senator’s first meeting with the newly-elected President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During the meeting with Chairman Razumkov, the parties discussed U.S.-Ukrainian cooperation in the energy sector, and in particular, countering the construction of the NordStream 2 gas pipeline. The Parliamentary chair expressed his gratitude for the Senator's significant personal contribution to the formation of a strong foundation for the US-Ukraine strategic partnership, and for the U.S. maintaining a consistent sanctions policy in response to Russia's ongoing military occupation of Ukrainian territory in the Donbas and Crimea. Senator Portman in turn assured the Chairman that the United States would support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and expressed his personal support for countering the construction and launch of the NordStream 2 gas pipeline.

The parties concluded their teleconference expressing hope that the halt in face-to-face meetings in response to the coronavirus pandemic would be overcome soon, and that cooperation between Ukraine and the United States would be intensified, in particular, between interparliamentary groups and foreign affairs committees. 

The following day, Senator Portman joined with his colleagues Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jim Risch (R-ID), Chris Murphy (D-CT), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in introducing the Ukraine Security Partnership Act to provide security assistance and strategic support to Ukraine. This bipartisan legislation once again demonstrates the United States’ commitment to stand by Ukraine and stand up to Putin.

Key provisions of the Ukraine Security Partnership Act include: 

• Requires a report on U.S. diplomatic support for Ukraine over the next five years;
• Encourages the U.S. Department of State to establish a working group on Ukraine with relevant European allies;
• Encourages the White House to appoint a special envoy for Ukraine to serve as the U.S. liaison for the Normandy Format peace negotiations and to facilitate dialogue between Black Sea countries;
• Authorizes up to $300 million per year of foreign military financing to Ukraine, subject to certifications, including the authority to provide Ukraine with lethal military assistance;
• Expedites the transfer of excess defense articles to Ukraine, and calls for a strategy to encourage partner nations to do the same;
• Authorizes $4 million per year to train Ukrainian military officers through the International Military Education and Training.