WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, upon reviewing a statement made today by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, offered comments during a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing about the opportunity President Trump has to help craft a sustainable peace for Ukraine.

Specifically, Chairman Wicker suggested that now is a moment for lawmakers to “take a deep breath” and allow the peace process to play out. Read his remarks in full below.

Thank you Senator Banks for mentioning the really encouraging developments that have taken place since this hearing began. I’m going to take the liberty of reading into the record the exact statement of President Zelenskyy today.

And I quote,

“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.

“None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.

“We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky – ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.

“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.

“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.

“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”

And I would then remind those within the sound of my voice and those reading the record that our president, President Trump, has said,

“The Government of the United States of America supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace.”

So let me just say this. I probably will not have an opportunity to take to the floor today. But I hope this is a day when we can refrain from some of the rhetoric that it’s tempting to make. I hope this is a day when Senators and members of the House of Representatives can take a deep breath and hope that the excellent, hopeful signs that come from this statement by President Zelenskyy come to fruition and come to fruition quickly.

I’ve had fights with my roommates over time. We got over it. I’m even told sometimes there are family fights. It’s regrettable when they spill out into the front yard. But friends get over it. Friends decide to move on. And I think we’re seeing that process today. I hope to heaven that that is the case.

And since Senator Banks mentioned it, I took the liberty of bringing it to the attention and to the record.