Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a message of support for Americans early Wednesday after the Texas school shooting that left at least 19 children and 2 adults dead. The incident left the largest school shooting death toll in the history of Texas. It was also the highest death toll of a shooting at a U.S. school since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.
“Deeply saddened by the news of the murder of innocent children in Texas,” Zelenskyy said. “Sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the people of the US and [President Joe Biden] over this tragedy. The people of Ukraine share the pain of the relatives and friends of the victims and all Americans.”
Deeply saddened by the news of the murder of innocent children in Texas. Sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the people of the US and @POTUS over this tragedy. The people of Ukraine share the pain of the relatives and friends of the victims and all Americans.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 25, 2022
Throughout Ukraine’s current fight against the Russian aggression targeting their country, the U.S. has consistently supported the nation’s defenders, providing billions of dollars worth of assistance including high-value weapons. Biden has repeatedly characterized standing by the country against Putin as something that’s simply critical as Ukrainians fight for their lives and freedom. And the Ukrainian defense has been resolute: Ukrainians have stopped the Russians from controlling high-profile cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv, and as Putin’s ground troops have been pushed out of various areas, Ukrainian authorities have rushed to restore a semblance of normality to territory Russians previously occupied.
Horrible news from Uvalde, Texas. Our deepest sympathy is with the victims and their families. As a nation that goes through the pain of losing innocent young lives, Ukraine shares the pain of our U.S. friends. We stand in solidarity with you at this difficult time, @SecBlinken.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 25, 2022
And normality — safety — is what Biden pushed for in the aftermath of the Texas violence. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?” Biden said Tuesday. “Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God’s name is our backbone to have the courage to deal with it and stand up to the lobbies? It’s time to turn this pain into action. For every parent, for every citizen in this country, we have to make it clear to every elected official in this country: It’s time to act. It’s time — for those who obstruct or delay or block the commonsense gun laws, we need to let you know that we will not forget. We can do so much more. We have to do more.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who represents Uvalde, tells @CBSMornings "I'm happy to debate policy, but not today" .. when asked about his prior votes on gun control policy
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 25, 2022
In the aftermath of the shooting, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) pushed for additional armed personnel on school campuses. “We know from past experience that the most effective tool for keeping kids safe is armed law enforcement on the campus,” Cruz claimed. Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada revealed law enforcement “engaged” with the shooter before he entered the school building — meaning the armed personnel who were already on the scene were for whatever reason unable to stop the attack from happening. “The suspect did crash near a ditch nearby the school. That’s where he exited his vehicle with what I believe was a rifle and that’s when he attempted to enter the school where he was engaged by law enforcement,” Estrada said. “Two Uvalde police officers and a school resource officer fired at the shooter, but it did not stop him from entering the building,” The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Cruz’s proposal ignores the reality that having additional guns around already failed.
May 24: Uvalde, Texas
May 14: BuffaloThe massacre in Uvalde, in which at least 19 children and two adults were killed, was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. this year. It happened just 10 days after 10 people were killed in a Buffalo supermarket. https://t.co/rXoiXLsjac
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 25, 2022
Featured Image (edited): via Cabinet Ministers of Ukraine and available under a Creative Commons License
