Whereas discussions are currently underway between France
and the Russian Federation regarding the possible sale of one or more of
France’s “Mistral” amphibious assault warships to Russia as well as a license
for Russia to produce further such vessels on its territory;
Whereas a Mistral-class amphibious assault warship is
capable of transporting and deploying 900 troops, up to 13 tanks, 16
helicopters, and 4 landing craft;
Whereas a Mistral-class assault warship costs between $600
million and $750 million;
Whereas, if the contract now being discussed by France and
the Russian Federation is finalized, this would be the first instance in which
a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) sold such advanced
military technology to Russia;
Whereas such a military sale by a NATO member state raises
concerns, particularly in light of Russia’s military invasion of Georgia in
August 2008, which violated Georgia’s territorial integrity, caused tens of
thousands of persons to be internally displaced, and inflicted massive
destruction by the bombing of Georgian infrastructure, including ports,
bridges, and railroads;
Whereas, in violation of its international obligations,
including the terms of a French-brokered ceasefire agreement between Russia and
Georgia, Russia continues to occupy Georgian territory, has built a permanent
military infrastructure in the Georgian region of South Ossetia, has announced
plans to build a naval base in the Georgian region of Abkhazia, and has vetoed
any monitoring presence in those regions by either the United Nations or the
Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);
Whereas the Russian Federation has failed to fulfill the
commitment it made in 1999 at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul to withdraw its
military forces from the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova by the
end of 2002;
Whereas a number of European countries, particularly some
which have only recently joined NATO and the European Union, are now
understandably concerned about their own political independence and security in
the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Georgia;
Whereas concerns regarding Russia’s intentions toward the
independent states of the former Soviet region and of Eastern Europe were
further escalated when, in September 2009, Russia and Belarus participated in a
military exercise in which the two countries reportedly simulated an air and
sea attack on Poland;
Whereas some have argued that providing Russia with a
Mistral-class amphibious assault warship would enhance that country’s ability
to potentially wage aggression against its neighbors;
Whereas the Russian Navy’s Commander-in-Chief, Admiral
Vladimir Vysotskiy recently made the following statement about the “Mistral”
ship, “In the conflict [against Georgia] in August last year, a ship like that
would have allowed the [Russian] Black Sea Fleet to accomplish its mission in
40 minutes, not 26 hours, which is how long it took us”;
Whereas, when asked where Russia would deploy the
“Mistral” ship if the deal is finalized, Russia’s Prime Minister, Vladimir
Putin, stated that Russia “would use the warships wherever they would be
needed”;
Whereas, on November 9, 2009, Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev signed into law a bill expanding the use of Russian troops
abroad;
Whereas a number of Russia’s neighbors, including Estonia,
Lithuania, Latvia, and Georgia have raised questions regarding the proposed
“Mistral” ship sale to Russia; and
Whereas according to Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet,
“Adding new military technology to the Black Sea … [would] not be a good idea”:
Now, therefore, be it
That it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that—
(1)given Russia’s increasingly aggressive
actions and rhetoric, the sale of major advanced weaponry and offensive
military equipment, such as naval warships, to the Russian Federation could
have a destabilizing effect on the Baltic and the Black Sea regions and on
other parts of the former Soviet region and Eastern Europe;
(2)in light of
continuing, serious concerns regarding the Russian Government’s failure to
appropriately enforce the rule of law and protection of human rights within its
territory, including the continued failure to halt or properly investigate and
prosecute the numerous murders of human rights activists, lawyers, reporters,
and others in Russia, the sale of major offensive weapons systems to Russia is
inappropriate; and
(3)the President and
the Secretaries of State and Defense should urge France and the other member
states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union
allies not to sell major weapons systems or any offensive military equipment,
such as naval warships, to the Russian Federation unless and until that country
has—
(A)fully and
verifiably withdrawn its troops from all of the territory of Georgia and
revoked its recognition as sovereign states of the separatist regions within
the internationally recognized territory of Georgia;
(B)fulfilled its
commitments to withdraw its military forces from the Transnistrian region of
the Republic of Moldova;
(C)ceased any and all
actions and policies that currently violate or would threaten the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of neighboring states;
(D)halted sales of
advanced conventional weapons, technology, and materials usable in the
construction of weapons of mass destruction to state sponsors of terrorism or
terrorist organizations; and
(E)taken steps to
constructively address the serious concerns regarding the Russian Government’s
failure to properly enforce the rule of law and human rights within the
territory of the Russian Federation.