[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 360 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 360
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine from
the former Soviet Union.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 14, 2021
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Johnson, and
Mr. Durbin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine from
the former Soviet Union.
Whereas, on January 21, 1990, more than 300,000 Ukrainians called for unity and
independence from the Soviet Union by forming a human chain between the
cities of Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk;
Whereas, on August 24, 1991, the elected Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared the
independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union with an overwhelming
majority of the vote;
Whereas, on December 1, 1991, more than 90 percent of Ukrainian citizens voted
in a national referendum in support of independence, with majorities in
every region;
Whereas, on February 8, 1994, Ukraine was the first member state of the
Commonwealth of Independent States to join the Partnership for Peace
program of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and has since deepened
its relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, recognized
as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner;
Whereas, on November 22, 2004, Ukrainians peacefully took to the streets in
protest of a fraudulent presidential election, beginning the Orange
Revolution and resulting in new elections under free and fair
conditions;
Whereas, on November 21, 2013, the Euromaidan protests began, resulting in the
Revolution of Dignity and the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych by
the Verkhovna Rada;
Whereas, on February 20, 2014, the Russian Federation invaded the independent
state of Ukraine, and Ukraine continues to confront malign Russian
activity, including the ongoing occupation of the Crimea region,
conflict in the Donbas region, and threats to freedom of navigation in
the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov;
Whereas Ukraine has made significant progress on defense reforms and has
deployed in numerous conflicts with the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in support of allied and coalition operations;
Whereas the United States-Ukraine Trade and Investment Council continues its
mission of reducing trade barriers in the bilateral relationship, and
Ukraine continues to seek economic alignment with Europe and the West;
and
Whereas Ukraine has continued to progress on a path toward democracy and has
prioritized closer engagement with the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and the European Union: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the courage and resolve shown by the
Ukrainian people in their pursuit of sovereignty and democracy;
(2) remembers the Euromaidan demonstrations of November
2013 as a major step forward in the journey of Ukraine toward
democracy;
(3) condemns the illegal military invasion and occupation
of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014 and the violence
fomented by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine, two active
conflicts that continue in 2021;
(4) affirms the Crimea Declaration issued and announced by
the Department of State on July 24, 2018, which rejects the
illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and
pledges to maintain that position until the territorial
integrity of Ukraine is restored;
(5) applauds the progress that the Government of Ukraine
has made in aligning with Euro-Atlantic norms and standards and
improving military combat readiness and interoperability with
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
(6) encourages the Government of Ukraine to continue
implementing crucial reforms to fight corruption, build strong
and free markets, and strengthen democracy and the rule of law;
(7) affirms the unwavering commitment of the United States
Government to support the continuing efforts of the Government
of Ukraine to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity by
providing consistent political and diplomatic support and
additional lethal and non-lethal security assistance to
strengthen the defense capabilities of Ukraine on land and sea
and in the air;
(8) condemns the ongoing malign activities carried out by
the Russian Federation against Ukraine and continues to call
upon the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately
cease all activity that seeks to undermine Ukraine and
destabilize Europe;
(9) calls upon the United States Government and its
international allies and partners to increase sanctions
pressure against the Russian Federation until the Russian
Federation upholds its international obligations to respect the
territorial integrity of Ukraine, including obligations under
the Memorandum on security assurances in connection with
Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, signed at Budapest December 5, 1994, and the
Minsk agreements agreed to in 2014 and 2015;
(10) congratulates the people of Ukraine on the
announcement on January 6, 2019, of autocephaly for an
independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which marked an
important milestone in Ukraine's pursuit of its own future free
from Kremlin influence;
(11) celebrates 3 decades of Ukrainian independence and the
strong partnership between the peoples and governments of the
United States and Ukraine; and
(12) welcomes the September 1, 2021, visit to Washington,
DC, by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky
at the invitation of President Joseph R. Biden to further
deepen the bonds between the United States and Ukraine.
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