[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 27 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 57
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 27
Calling for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation operation in
the Black Sea and urging the cancellation of the Nord Stream 2
pipeline.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 24, 2019
Mr. Johnson (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Risch, Mr. Menendez, Mr.
Inhofe, Mr. Reed, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Baldwin,
Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mr.
Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Mr.
Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr.
Enzi, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Hassan,
Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Jones, Mr. Kaine, Mr.
Kennedy, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Moran, Mr.
Peters, Mr. Portman, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Romney, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio,
Mr. Sasse, Mr. Schatz, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis,
Mr. Toomey, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, Mr.
Young, Mr. Manchin, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Isakson, Ms.
Murkowski, and Mr. Cassidy) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
April 4, 2019
Reported by Mr. Risch, without amendment
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation operation in
the Black Sea and urging the cancellation of the Nord Stream 2
pipeline.
Whereas, in late February 2014, the Russian Federation invaded and illegally
occupied Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, in full contravention of the
United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, which condemn the
threat or use of force as means of altering international borders;
Whereas the Russian Federation's attempted illegal annexation of Crimea is also
a direct violation of its pledges as a signatory to the 1994 Budapest
Memorandum on Security Assurances to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and
existing borders and to refrain from the threat or use of force against
Ukraine;
Whereas the inclusion of the United States and the United Kingdom as signatories
to the Budapest Memorandum was essential in order to provide Ukraine the
security assurances needed to give up its nuclear arsenal;
Whereas, on November 25, 2018, military forces of the Russian Federation
attacked and seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels and their crews as they
attempted to transit the Kerch Strait between the Black Sea and the Sea
of Azov;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation still has not released the
Ukrainian crew members or returned the Ukrainian ships that were seized
illegally;
Whereas European Commissioner Julian King stated that the Government of the
Russian Federation launched a disinformation campaign over a year ago
designed to paint Ukraine and NATO as provocateurs in the Kerch Strait;
Whereas, as part of the Russian Federation disinformation campaign, Russian
state media outlets spread demonstrable falsehoods, including claims
that Ukraine was dredging the Kerch Strait seabed to facilitate the
stationing of a NATO fleet, that Ukraine had intentionally infected the
sea with cholera, and that Ukrainian and British clandestine services
were conspiring to destroy the Kerch Strait bridge with a nuclear
weapon;
Whereas the United States has important national interests in the Black Sea
region, including the security of three NATO littoral states, the
promotion of European energy market diversification by ensuring
unfettered European access to energy exporters in the Caucuses and
central Asia, and combating use of the region by smugglers as a conduit
for trafficking in persons, narcotics, and arms;
Whereas the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a proposed underwater natural gas pipeline
project that would provide an additional 55,000,000,000 cubic meters of
pipeline capacity from the Russian Federation to the Federal Republic of
Germany through the Baltic Sea;
Whereas the Russian Federation's state-owned oil and gas company, Gazprom, is
the sole shareholder of the Nord Stream 2 project;
Whereas, in 2017, there was spare capacity of approximately 55,000,000,000 cubic
meters in the Ukrainian gas transit system;
Whereas Gazprom cut off natural gas exports to Europe via Ukraine in 2006, and
again in 2009, over supply and pricing disputes with Ukraine's state-
owned oil and gas company, Naftogaz;
Whereas transit of Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine declined
precipitously after the completion of Nord Stream 1 in 2011, falling
from 80 percent to between 40 and 50 percent of Russia's total exports
to Europe;
Whereas, in 2017, Russian gas accounted for 37 percent of Europe's natural gas
imports, an increase of 5 percent over 2016;
Whereas, on December 12, 2018, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a
resolution condemning both the Russian Federation's aggression in the
Kerch Strait and the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline; and
Whereas, on December 11, 2018, the United States House of Representatives passed
a resolution calling upon the European Union to reject the Nord Stream 2
pipeline and urging the President to use all available means to promote
energy policies in Europe that reduce European reliance on Russian
energy exports: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) calls upon the President to work with United States
allies to promptly lead a robust multinational freedom of
navigation operation in the Black Sea to help demonstrate
support for internationally recognized borders, bilateral
agreements, and safe passage through the Kerch Strait and Sea
of Azov and to push back against excessive Russian Federation
claims of sovereignty;
(2) calls upon the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to
enhance allied maritime presence and capabilities, including
maritime domain awareness and coastal defense in the Black Sea
in order to support Freedom of Navigation Operations and allied
interests;
(3) urges the President to use the authority provided under
section 1234 of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115-91; 131 Stat. 1659) to enhance
the capability of the Ukrainian military;
(4) urges the President, through the Departments of State
and Defense, to provide additional security assistance to
Ukraine, especially to strengthen Ukraine's maritime
capabilities, in order to improve deterrence and defense
against further Russian aggression;
(5) reiterates that the President is required by statute to
impose mandatory sanctions on the Russian Federation under the
Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Public
Law 115-44);
(6) stresses that sanctions against the Russian Federation
are a direct result of the actions of the Government of the
Russian Federation and will continue and increase until there
is an appropriate change in Russian behavior;
(7) calls upon United States allies and partners in Europe
to deny Russian Navy vessels access to their ports to resupply
and refuel;
(8) notes the resolution passed by the House of
Representatives on December 11, 2018, calling on European
governments to cancel the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and urging the
President to support European energy security through a policy
of reducing reliance on the Russian Federation;
(9) applauds and concurs with the European Parliament's
December 12, 2018, resolution condemning Russian aggression in
the Kerch Strait and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, calling for
the pipeline's cancellation due to its threat to European
energy security, and calling on the Russian Federation to
guarantee freedom of navigation in the Kerch Strait; and
(10) urges the President to continue working with Congress
and our allies to ensure the appropriate policies to deter the
Russian Federation from further aggression.
Calendar No. 57
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 27
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation operation in
the Black Sea and urging the cancellation of the Nord Stream 2
pipeline.
_______________________________________________________________________
April 4, 2019
Reported without amendment