Governor Hochul: "We stand together to open up the arms of our Statue of Liberty to all Ukrainians who want to come here for refuge, as we've worked to rebuild the country."
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul attended service at the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church and delivered remarks.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
All who are gathered here tonight, thank you for allowing me to share in this absolutely beautiful, uplifting experience. This night of prayer for Ukraine. And I'm humbled to be with you here tonight in this magnificent church, a reminder that this is a beautiful place, a place steeped in traditions, and heritage, and love of the homeland. But as I gather here, I witnessed many experiences. We gather here tonight with prayer on our lips, but I also feel the pain in our hearts, but yet, I also sense the defiance in our souls. And that is the spirit of the Ukrainian people. And that spirit has been harnessed and unleashed on people who prey on what they perceive to be weaknesses.
And yet they find out how they miscalculated the resolve of freedom-loving people in places like the Ukraine. And yes, we've seen Ukrainian people under attack by Putin and the army. But we have seen them stand tall against tyranny in a way that inspires the rest of the world. It is profound to witness what the world is watching unfold before our eyes. So on behalf of 20 million New Yorkers, I am here to say with resolve in my heart, that we stand against this tyranny, and condemn Putin's unjust and inhumane violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine. And we will stand with Ukraine and its people now, and forever more.
For this is personal to us as well. New York is home to the largest Ukrainian population in the entire United States of America. And I'm proud to represent all of you. And as I said, at the very first second, we started to see people having to flee their homes, yes, temporarily. I said the Statue of Liberty stands tall in our harbor. And just as we have through generations, welcoming people like my immigrant grandparents, who left great poverty, we stand together to open up the arms of our Statue of Liberty to all Ukrainians who want to come here for refuge, as we've worked to rebuild the country, after driving the Russians out. Because that will be what happens. We will do that.
I also immediately signed an executive order from the State of New York, saying that there will be no business with any Russian interest in the entire state of New York, we are driving them out and therefore we will drive down their economy. And that is how we'll bring them to their knees and they will regret the day that they had the audacity to challenge the people of this great country. Because you have allies in every corner of this planet, and they are rising up with all of you. And as we listen to great President Zelenskyy, he said, "Life will win over death, and light will win over darkness." I believe that will be the destiny of the people of this country, because you have united people, who've many times were not united in the past, the European Union. United States of America, you saw last night, as our nation stood in solidarity with President Biden. When he spoke about the courage of the Ukrainian people and recognize the ambassador.
I'm proud to recognize it in our presence tonight. We have the Consul General from Ukraine, and I want to recognize him here today and thank him for his courage, and standing up for the people and the country. I also want to recognize that tonight, and in the past, Senator Brad Hoylman, who represents this area, sat here and prayed with us for the people of this community, and our family and friends abroad.
And I want to speak to the children here tonight. All of you from the St. George's Children Academy, who gathered here. You are witnessing history unfold, and yes, it is a scary, painful time. And you have loved ones. Some of you have brothers back home on the front lines. But this is our moment of destiny. And when you see the people who you're proud to call your brothers and sisters, you see them rise up, and they give hope to people all over this Earth. You will know that you witnessed this day, and we will look forward to a future of freedom for Ukrainian people, not just here, but across the world, and especially in their homeland that we will take back.
Mark my words: You are witnessing history in the making, and you'll look back and tell your children and your grandchildren, how your kinsmen, your family members, your fellow Ukrainians, stood up against tyranny. And that, forever, will be a huge point of pride, not just for you, but for all of us and all of us as New Yorkers. So I will conclude when I say, New York is with you. We will always be with you. The United States of America will be with you as well.
Slava Ukraini! We stand with all of you and may God bless the people of Ukraine, and God Bless America! Thank you very much, everyone.
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