[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 480 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 480
To support an independent and democratic Ukraine against any further
Russian military invasion, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 16, 2021
Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms.
Klobuchar, Mr. Graham, Mr. Portman, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Casey,
Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Rubio) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
To support an independent and democratic Ukraine against any further
Russian military invasion, and for other purposes.
Whereas, on August 24, 1991, the Ukrainian parliament voted overwhelmingly for
independence from the Soviet Union and set December 1, 1991, for a
national independence referendum;
Whereas, on December 1, 1991, more than 90 percent of Ukrainians voting in the
referendum supported independence;
Whereas, by December 25, 1991, the United States joined more than 20 countries,
including Russia, in recognizing Ukrainian independence;
Whereas the newly independent Ukraine, while rich in natural resources and human
talent, also inherited endemic corruption, an aging Soviet
infrastructure, government mismanagement, and significant economic
challenges;
Whereas the newly independent Ukraine also inherited one of the world's largest
nuclear weapons arsenals;
Whereas, on December 5, 1994, Ukraine joined the United States, Russia, and the
United Kingdom in signing the ``Budapest Memorandum on Security
Assurances,'' in which it agreed to remove all nuclear weapons from its
territory in exchange for assurance that Russia would respect its
sovereignty;
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 (NATO) and has since
been 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 free and fair elections;
Whereas, on November 21, 2013, peaceful protests began on Independence Square
(Maidan) in Kyiv against the decision by then-President Viktor
Yanukovych to suspend signing the Ukraine-European Union (EU)
Association Agreement and instead pursue closer ties with the Russian
Federation;
Whereas the Maidan protests quickly drew thousands of people and broadened to
become a general demonstration in support of Ukraine's integration with
the European Union and against widespread Yanukovych regime corruption;
Whereas, from February 18-20, 2014, an estimated 104 people were killed and
2,500 injured as a result of violent crackdowns by authorities against
protesters;
Whereas, beginning February 20, 2014, the Russian Federation clandestinely
invaded Ukraine, with Russian troops claiming to be Ukrainian
separatists, and since then have militarily occupied the regions of
Crimea and Donbas;
Whereas, on February 22, 2014, and following months of protests, the Ukrainian
Parliament voted to remove President Yanukovych and hold early
presidential election in May;
Whereas, on May 25, 2014, President Petro Poroshenko was elected on a message of
strengthening Ukraine's territorial integrity, negotiating with Russia,
and strengthening ties with Europe;
Whereas, on July 17, 2014, Russian-backed separatists shot down Malaysia
Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine with Russian missiles, killing
all 298 people on board;
Whereas, on September 5, 2014, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) signed the
Minsk Protocol aimed at ending the conflict, which the Russian
Federation continued to violate;
Whereas, on February 12, 2015, a new package of measures to end the conflict in
Ukraine was signed, known as Minsk II, provisions of which have still
not yet been fully implemented;
Whereas at least 14,000 Ukrainians have been killed defending their homeland and
millions more displaced since the conflict with Russia began;
Whereas, on September 1, 2017, the European Union-Ukraine Association Agreement
came into force;
Whereas, on April 21, 2019, President Volodymyr Zelensnky was elected on a
platform of fighting corruption and restarting peace talks with Russian-
backed separatists;
Whereas, on July 16, 2019, the United States Senate unanimously passed S. Res.
74 (116th Congress), marking the fifth anniversary of Ukraine's
Revolution of Dignity by honoring the bravery, determination, and
sacrifice of the people of Ukraine during and since the Revolution, and
condemning continued Russian aggression against Ukraine;
Whereas, in early and again in late 2021, Russia deployed a massive troop and
weapons buildup on the border with Ukraine;
Whereas, on December 1, 2021, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that
if Russia decides to once again ``use force against Ukraine, then we
have made it clear . . . during the NATO Foreign Minister meeting in
Latvia today that Russia will then have to pay a high price; there will
be serious consequences for Russia . . . And that's a clear message from
NATO.'';
Whereas, on December 7, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden warned Russian President
Vladimir Putin that the West would impose ``strong economic and other
measures'' if Russia invades Ukraine; and
Whereas, on December 12, 2021, at a meeting in Liverpool, delegates of the Group
of Seven (G7) released a joint statement saying, ``Russia should be in
no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have
massive consequences and severe cost in response . . . We reaffirm our
unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial
integrity, as well as the right of any sovereign state to determine its
own future.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) denounces the current Russian military buildup on the
Ukraine boarder as provocative, reckless, and contrary to
established international norms;
(2) reaffirms unwavering United States support for a
secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine free to choose its
own leaders and future;
(3) reaffirms unwavering United States and NATO commitment
to support the continuing efforts of the Government of Ukraine
to restore its 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; and
(4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to
abide by commitments agreed to in 2014 and 2015 in the Minsk
agreements.
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