[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 909 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 909
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Russian
Federation's status as a permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council contravenes the spirit and purpose of the United
Nations, that the rights and privileges it enjoys in that role be
limited, suspended, or terminated, and that the Republic of India be
appointed as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council
with all the rights and privileges of the position.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 5, 2023
Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Reschenthaler, Mr.
Fitzpatrick, and Ms. Van Duyne) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Russian
Federation's status as a permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council contravenes the spirit and purpose of the United
Nations, that the rights and privileges it enjoys in that role be
limited, suspended, or terminated, and that the Republic of India be
appointed as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council
with all the rights and privileges of the position.
Whereas, on March 2, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly
approved a resolution condemning the Russian Federation's invasion of
Ukraine, demanded the Russian Federation's immediate withdrawal from
Ukraine, and reaffirmed Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity;
Whereas the Russian Federation has carried out a brutal war against Ukraine,
threatening to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign nation state, and has
attempted to annex entire regions of Ukraine's sovereign territory to
its own benefit;
Whereas the Russian Federation has committed atrocities against Ukrainian
civilians, has occupied and threatened to destroy civilian-use nuclear
power stations, placing millions of people both inside and outside
Ukraine at risk, and has purposefully caused the destruction of entire
Ukrainian cities;
Whereas the Russian Federation has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons
against Ukraine in disregard of the Joint Statement on Preventing
Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races that the Russian Federation adopted
in 2022, in concurrence with the 4 other permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council;
Whereas the Russian Federation is in violation of its commitments under the
Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with Ukraine's Accession
to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed in
Budapest on December 7, 1994, whereby Ukraine agreed to relinquish its
nuclear weapons in exchange for the assurances of the Russian Federation
that it would respect the independence, sovereignty, and existing
borders of Ukraine, and would refrain from the threat or use of force
against the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to threaten the local and global food
supply by destroying crop harvests, reducing agricultural yields, and
preventing deliveries to and from Ukraine in violation of its
commitments under the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and
Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports which it adopted on July 22, 2022;
Whereas the Russian Federation's continued war of aggression against Ukraine
since February 24, 2022, and its escalation of military activities to
unprecedented levels have caused thousands of civilian casualties,
displaced millions of people, devastated Ukraine cities, destroyed most
of the countryside, and stretched the humanitarian capacities of
Ukraine's neighboring nations to provide aid and shelter to Ukraine and
her displaced citizens to their limits;
Whereas the Russian Federation has repeatedly chosen brutal force over diplomacy
to achieve its foreign policy objectives, in violation of the
international norms that govern the peaceful coexistence of nations,
thereby showing a blatant disregard for the core principles and values
of the United Nations and its Charter;
Whereas the Russian aggression in Ukraine has been strongly condemned by the
international community;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to curtail the freedom of expression
and the freedom of assembly in its own country via the closure of
independent news organizations, the intensification of crackdowns and
the manipulation of Russian citizens, the repression of peaceful
protests, and the application of extreme restrictions on access to
social media to control the narrative of the Ukraine war and its
activities therein;
Whereas the spirit, purpose, and principles of the United Nations have been
obstructed by the Russian Federation and its malfeasant behavior;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to utilize its veto power to block
United Nations Security Council resolutions that are detrimental to its
national interests, resulting in the paralysis of the Security Council,
inhibiting its very function and purpose, and exacerbating the
geopolitical rivalry between Western democracies and the dictatorships
of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation;
Whereas the Russian Federation's continued brutal aggression is a fundamental
violation of the United Nations Charter;
Whereas the Russian Federation has ignored its obligation to observe and
implement rulings and recommendations issued by United Nations bodies,
including determinations by the United Nations General Assembly, the
United Nations Human Rights Council, the International Court of Justice,
the President of the United Nations Security Council, and the United
Nations Secretary General, which have called for the Russian Federation
to cease all military operations in Ukraine and stop its human rights
violations and illegal annexation of Ukrainian sovereign territory;
Whereas the Russian Federation has abused its veto power and violated the
procedures of the United Nations Security Council under Article 23,
paragraph 1 of the United Nations Charter with false claims and
disagreements;
Whereas the Russian Federation has blocked 152 resolutions, by veto, since the
Security Council's founding, more than any other nation, and as of
February 2023, has effectively stopped the business of the Security
Council;
Whereas nations in the international community and international organizations
have condemned the Russian Federation's violations of international law
and taken actions to condemn the Russian Federation;
Whereas Article 6 of the United Nations Charter permits the United Nations
Security Council to recommend the expulsion of a member nation that has
persistently violated the principles of the United Nations Charter upon
a two-thirds vote of the United Nations General Assembly;
Whereas the United Nations has the power to amend its Charter to remove or add
new permanent members;
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly established an open-ended working
group in 1993 to address the issue of Security Council reform;
Whereas discussions have occurred regarding many aspects of Security Council
reform, including--
(1) increasing the number of permanent members;
(2) increasing the number of nonpermanent members;
(3) discussing the status of new permanent members, including extension
of the veto to such members;
(4) the continuation of the veto power; and
(5) limits on veto use;
Whereas Security Council reform discussions have increased recently, due in part
to some United Nations members' objections to the Security Council's
lack of action regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict;
Whereas the United States has generally supported enlarging Security Council
membership, both for permanent and nonpermanent members, and cited the
importance of providing permanent seats for those nations that the
United States has long supported, including the Republic of India;
Whereas the issue of the Republic of India's accession to a permanent seat on
the United Nations Security Council is not new, but has been discussed
by permanent members since the 1950s;
Whereas the Republic of India was a founding member of the United Nations;
Whereas the Republic of India has served as a nonpermanent member of the United
Nations Security Council for 8 terms (16 years), with the last term
ending in 2022;
Whereas the Republic of India has grown into an emerging diplomatic, economic,
military, and technological powerhouse and the world's most populous
country;
Whereas the Republic of India is South Asia's predominant nation with nearly
1,400,000,000 citizens and the world's sixth-largest economy;
Whereas the Republic of India has expressed an interest in becoming a permanent
member of the United Nations Security Council for decades, most recently
in response to the paralysis of the United Nations Security Council over
the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas the Republic of India's case for permanent membership has focused on its
existing contributions to peace and security;
Whereas, since the onset of United Nations peacekeeping missions in 1948, the
Republic of India has sent contingents of personnel on over 49
operations, contributed close to 200,000 military troops, and lost more
than 160 military personnel in service to United Nations missions;
Whereas the emergence of the United States-Republic of India partnership has
been a noteworthy reformation of the geopolitical landscape in the 21st
century, including extensive cooperation on defense operations and
military-to-military weapon sales discussions;
Whereas the Republic of India is a key player in the United States Indo-Pacific
strategy and a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which has
rapidly become a strong and outspoken regional partnership dedicated to
advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific;
Whereas the United States not only views the Republic of India as an emerging
great power player and important partner of the United States, but as a
fundamental counterbalance to China's growing international influence;
Whereas the United States and the Republic of India have pursued a strategic
partnership and an expansion of bilateral security cooperation to
include sales of United States weapons to the Republic of India and the
Republic of India's participation in combined military exercises;
Whereas the Republic of India shares common values with the United States and
many of the permanent members, supports the principles of the United
Nations Charter, and seeks to promote a rules-based international order
that safeguards sovereignty and territorial integrity, upholds
democratic values, and promotes peace and prosperity;
Whereas, in contrast, the Russian Federation thwarts the purpose of the United
Nations and continues to be in direct violation of the principles of the
United Nations Charter and the Security Council; and
Whereas the Security Council is the principal organ of the United Nations, with
the primary responsibility for maintaining global peace and security:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that
the Russian Federation's attack on Ukraine is a breach of the
United Nations Charter, qualifying as a ``crime against peace''
as defined by the Charter of the International Military
Tribunal (Nuremberg Charter) and as an ``aggression'' per the
terms of Resolution 3314 (XXIX) of the United Nations General
Assembly adopted in 1974; and
(2) the House of Representatives--
(A) condemns, in the strongest terms possible, the
Russian Federation's brutal attack against Ukraine, and
reaffirms its continuing support for the Ukrainian
people, and the sovereignty, independence, and
territorial integrity of the nation of Ukraine;
(B) is deeply disturbed by evidence of violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law by
the Russian Federation, including attacks against
civilian targets, indiscriminate use of artillery and
weapons, attacks on humanitarian corridors, and the
taking of hostages;
(C) finds that the Russian Federation has
repeatedly and with intent, through the exercise of its
veto power and actions, violated the spirit,
principles, and the very purpose of the United Nations
and has hindered the United Nations in its ability to
fulfill its role of maintaining global peace and
security in the world;
(D) finds that the Russian Federation's actions are
antagonistic and counterproductive to the interests of
the United Nations, the United States, and the other
permanent members of the United Nations Security
Council;
(E) finds that the Republic of India shares core
democratic values with the United States and other
permanent member nations;
(F) finds that the Republic of India supports the
principles of the United Nations Charter and seeks to
promote a rules-based international order that
safeguards sovereignty and territorial integrity,
upholds democratic values, and promotes peace and
prosperity;
(G) finds that the accession of the Republic of
India to a permanent seat on the United Nations
Security Council would further the purpose and
principles of the United Nations and would be
beneficial to the furtherance of the interests and
national security goals of the United States; and
(H) urges the President of the United States to
direct the Department of State and all other relevant
Federal departments and agencies to engage in all
appropriate measures--
(i) to determine whether the Russian
Federation is, lawfully, a member of the United
Nations Security Council since the United
Nations Charter itself assigned the
responsibility to the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics and was never amended to reflect its
dissolution; and
(ii) in conjunction with United Nations
permanent members, nonpermanent members, and
allies--
(I) to limit, suspend, or terminate
the rights and privileges that the
Russian Federation enjoys as a
permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council; and
(II) to support the accession of
the Republic of India as a permanent
member of the United Nations Security
Council, to enjoy all the rights and
privileges of that position, and to do
the same with respect to ensuring that
the Republic of India enjoys membership
in all other organs and specialized
agencies of the United Nations.
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