Washington, D.C. — Uifa’atali Amata attended the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, and gave her thoughts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

 “I took part in a briefing a few days ago, but events in Ukraine continue to move fast,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Members of Congress heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley. As a country we stand together and strongly support Ukraine. The United States and Europe can provide important diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian aid, and thank God we do not have to send our young Service Members from American Samoa into the war.

 “The U.S. will help urgently with medical supplies, humanitarian relief, diplomatic pressure, military strength protecting nearby NATO allies, and direct economic assistance to Ukraine,” Amata said. “Congress is working on $6 billion in more aid for Ukraine in the appropriations bill. We can make sure they aren’t closed off from the world, and Putin must know the world is watching and fully united against his aggression.

 “Ukraine may be a young democracy, as it’s been only a little more than 30 years since the Soviet Union dominated the region, but the people love their country and have pride in being independent of Russia,” Amata continued. “The Ukrainian people, their military and their President have responded with great courage to this invasion, and they are making a strong stand. We pray for all of them, especially the children and civilians caught up in a war zone.”