[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 758 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 758

   Strongly condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, under 
President Vladimir Putin, which has carried out a policy of aggression 
     against neighboring countries aimed at political and economic 
                              domination.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2014

Mr. Kinzinger of Illinois submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Strongly condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, under 
President Vladimir Putin, which has carried out a policy of aggression 
     against neighboring countries aimed at political and economic 
                              domination.

Whereas upon entering office in 2009, President Barack Obama announced his 
        intention to ``reset'' relations with the Russian Federation, which was 
        described by former United States Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul as 
        a policy to ``engage with Russia to seek agreement on common 
        interests'', which included the negotiation of the Strategic Arms 
        Reduction Treaty (New START) in which the United States agreed to major 
        reductions in its nuclear forces;
Whereas the Russian Federation has responded to this policy with openly anti-
        American rhetoric and actions and with armed aggression against United 
        States allies and partner countries, including Ukraine and the Republic 
        of Georgia;
Whereas the Russian Federation has subjected Ukraine to a campaign of political, 
        economic, and military aggression for the purpose of establishing its 
        domination over the country and progressively erasing its independence;
Whereas the Russian Federation's invasion of, and military operations on, 
        Ukrainian territory represent gross violations of Ukraine's sovereignty, 
        independence, and territorial integrity and a violation of international 
        law, including the Russian Federation's obligations under the United 
        Nations Charter;
Whereas the Russian Federation's forcible occupation and illegal annexation of 
        Crimea and its continuing support for separatist and paramilitary forces 
        in eastern Ukraine are violations of its obligations under the 1994 
        Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, in which it pledged to 
        respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of 
        Ukraine and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the 
        territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine;
Whereas the Russian Federation has provided military equipment, training, and 
        other assistance to separatist and paramilitary forces in eastern 
        Ukraine that has resulted in over 4,000 civilian deaths, hundreds of 
        thousands of civilian refugees, and widespread destruction;
Whereas the Ukrainian military remains at a significant disadvantage compared to 
        the armed forces of the Russian Federation in terms of size and 
        technological sophistication;
Whereas the United States strongly supports efforts to assist Ukraine to defend 
        its territory and sovereignty against military aggression by the Russian 
        Federation and by separatist forces;
Whereas the terms of the ceasefire specified in the Minsk Protocol that was 
        signed on September 5, 2014, by representatives of the Government of 
        Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Russian-backed separatists in 
        the eastern area of the Ukraine have been repeatedly violated by the 
        Russian Federation and the separatist forces it supports;
Whereas separatist forces in areas they controlled in eastern Ukraine prevented 
        the holding of elections on May 25, 2014, for a new President of Ukraine 
        and on October 26, 2014, for a new Rada, thereby preventing the people 
        of eastern Ukraine from exercising their democratic right to select 
        their candidates for office in free and fair elections;
Whereas, on November 2, 2014, separatist forces in eastern Ukraine held 
        fraudulent and illegal elections in areas they controlled for the 
        supposed purpose of choosing leaders of the illegitimate local political 
        entities they have declared;
Whereas the Russian Federation has recognized the results of the illegal 
        elections and continues to provide the military, political, and economic 
        support without which the separatist forces could not continue to 
        maintain their areas of control;
Whereas the reestablishment of peace and security in Ukraine requires the full 
        withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, the resumption of 
        the government's control over all of the country's international 
        borders, the disarming of the separatist and paramilitary forces in the 
        east, an end to Russia's use of its energy exports and trade barriers to 
        apply economic and political pressure, and an end to Russian 
        interference in Ukraine's internal affairs;
Whereas Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a civilian airliner, was destroyed by a 
        Russian-made missile provided by the Russian Federation to separatist 
        forces in eastern Ukraine, resulting in the loss of 298 innocent lives;
Whereas the Russian Federation has used and is continuing to use coercive 
        economic measures, including the manipulation of energy prices and 
        supplies, as well as trade restrictions, to place political and economic 
        pressure on Ukraine;
Whereas military forces of the Russian Federation and of the separatists it 
        controls have repeatedly violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement 
        announced on September 5, 2014;
Whereas the Russian Federation invaded the Republic of Georgia in August 2008, 
        continues to station military forces in the regions of Abkhazia and 
        South Ossetia, and is implementing measures intended to progressively 
        integrate these regions into the Russian Federation;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to subject the Republic of Georgia to 
        political and military intimidation, economic coercion, and other forms 
        of aggression in an effort to establish its control of the country and 
        to prevent Georgia from establishing closer relations with the European 
        Union and the United States;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to station military forces in the 
        Transniestria region of Moldova;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to provide support to the illegal 
        separatist regime in the Transniestria region of Moldova;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to subject Moldova to political and 
        military intimidation, economic coercion, and other forms of aggression 
        in an effort to establish its control of the countries and to prevent 
        efforts by Moldova to establish closer relations with the European Union 
        and the United States;
Whereas under the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), a 
        flight-test or deployment of any INF-banned weapon delivery vehicle by 
        the Russian Federation constitutes a violation of the INF Treaty;
Whereas, on July 29, 2014, the United States Department of State released its 
        report on the Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, 
        Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments, as 
        required by Section 403 of the Arms Control and Disarmament Act, for 
        calendar year 2013, which found that, ``[t]he United States has 
        determined that the Russian Federation is in violation of its 
        obligations under the INF Treaty not to possess, produce, or flight-test 
        a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) with a range capability of 500 
        km to 5,500 km, or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles'';
Whereas according to reports, the Government of the Russian Federation has 
        repeatedly engaged in the infiltration of, and attacks on, computer 
        networks of the United States Government, as well as individuals and 
        private entities, for the purpose of illicitly acquiring information and 
        disrupting operations, including by supporting Russian individuals and 
        entities engaged in these actions;
Whereas the political, military, and economic aggression against Ukraine and 
        other countries by the Russian Federation underscores the enduring 
        importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the 
        cornerstone of collective Euro-Atlantic defense;
Whereas the United States reaffirms its obligations under the North Atlantic 
        Treaty, especially Article 5 which states that ``an armed attack against 
        one or more'' of the treaty signatories ``shall be considered an attack 
        against them all'';
Whereas the Russian Federation is continuing to use its supply of energy as a 
        means of political and economic coercion against Ukraine, Georgia, 
        Moldova, and other European countries;
Whereas the United States strongly supports energy diversification initiatives 
        in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other European countries to reduce the 
        ability of the Russian Federation to use its supply of energy for 
        political and economic coercion, including the development of domestic 
        sources of energy, increased efficiency, and substituting Russian energy 
        resources with imports from other countries;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to conduct an aggressive propaganda 
        effort in Ukraine in which false information is used to subvert the 
        authority of the legitimate national government, undermine stability, 
        promote ethnic dissension, and incite violence;
Whereas the Russian Federation has expanded the presence of its state-sponsored 
        media in national languages across central and western Europe with the 
        intent of using news and information to distort public opinion and 
        obscure Russian political and economic influence in Europe;
Whereas expanded efforts by United States international broadcasting across all 
        media in the Russian and Ukrainian languages are needed to counter 
        Russian propaganda and to provide the people of Ukraine and the 
        surrounding regions with access to credible and balanced information;
Whereas the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), 
        Incorporated continue to represent a minority market share in Ukraine 
        and other regional states with significant ethno-linguistic Russian 
        populations who increasingly obtain their local and international news 
        from Russian state-sponsored media outlets;
Whereas the United States International Programming to Ukraine and Neighboring 
        Regions Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-96) requires the Voice of America 
        and RFE/RL, Incorporated to provide programming content to target 
        populations in Ukraine and Moldova 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 
        including at least 8 weekly hours of total original video and television 
        content and 14 weekly hours of total audio content while expanding 
        cooperation with local media outlets and deploying greater content 
        through multimedia platforms and mobile devices; and
Whereas Vladimir Putin has established an increasingly authoritarian regime in 
        the Russian Federation through fraudulent elections, the persecution and 
        jailing of political opponents, the elimination of independent media, 
        the seizure of key sectors of the economy and enabling supporters to 
        enrich themselves through widespread corruption, and implementing a 
        strident propaganda campaign to justify Russian aggression against other 
        countries and repression in Russia, among other actions: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) strongly supports the efforts by President Poroshenko 
        and the people of Ukraine to establish a lasting peace in their 
        country that includes the full withdrawal of Russian forces 
        from its territory, full control of its international borders, 
        the disarming of separatist and paramilitary forces eastern 
        Ukraine, the adoption of policies to reduce the ability of the 
        Russian Federation to use energy exports and trade barriers as 
        weapons to apply economic and political pressure, and an end to 
        interference by the Russian Federation in the internal affairs 
        of Ukraine;
            (2) affirms the right of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and all 
        countries to exercise their sovereign rights within their 
        internationally recognized borders free from outside 
        intervention and to conduct their foreign policy in accordance 
        with their determination of the best interests of their 
        peoples;
            (3) condemns the continuing political, economic, and 
        military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, 
        Georgia, and Moldova and the continuing violation of their 
        sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity;
            (4) states that the military intervention by the Russian 
        Federation in Ukraine--
                    (A) is in breach of its obligations under the 
                United Nations Charter;
                    (B) is in violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum 
                on Security Assurances in which it pledged to respect 
                the independence, sovereignty, and existing borders of 
                Ukraine and to refrain from the threat of the use of 
                force against the territorial integrity or political 
                independence of Ukraine; and
                    (C) poses a threat to international peace and 
                security;
            (5) calls on the Russian Federation to reverse its illegal 
        annexation of the Crimean peninsula, to end its support of the 
        separatist forces in Crimea, and to remove its military forces 
        from that region other than those operating in strict 
        accordance with its 1997 agreement on the Status and Conditions 
        of the Black Sea Fleet Stationing on the Territory of Ukraine;
            (6) calls on the President to cooperate with United States 
        allies and partners in Europe and other countries around the 
        world to refuse to recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea 
        by the Russian Federation;
            (7) calls on the Russian Federation to remove its military 
        forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine, 
        Georgia, and Moldova, and to end its political, military, and 
        economic support of separatist forces;
            (8) calls on the Russian Federation and the separatist 
        forces it controls in Ukraine to end their violations of the 
        ceasefire announced in Minsk on September 5, 2014;
            (9) calls on the President to cooperate with United States 
        allies and partners in Europe and other countries around the 
        world to impose visa bans, targeted asset freezes, sectoral 
        sanctions, and other measures on the Russian Federation and its 
        leadership with the goal of compelling it to end its violation 
        of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, to remove 
        its military forces and equipment from Ukrainian territory, and 
        to end its support of separatist and paramilitary forces;
            (10) calls on the President to provide the Government of 
        Ukraine with defense articles, services, and training required 
        to effectively defend its territory and sovereignty;
            (11) calls on the President to provide the Government of 
        Ukraine with appropriate intelligence and other relevant 
        information to assist the Government of Ukraine to defend its 
        territory and sovereignty;
            (12) calls on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 
        allies and United States partners in Europe and other nations 
        around the world to suspend all military cooperation with 
        Russia, including prohibiting the sale to the Russian 
        Government of lethal and non-lethal military equipment;
            (13) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its 
        obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty, especially Article 
        5, and calls on all Alliance member states to provide their 
        full share of the resources needed to ensure their collective 
        defense;
            (14) urges the President, in consultation with Congress, to 
        conduct a review of the force posture, readiness, and 
        responsibilities of United States Armed Forces and the forces 
        of other members of NATO to determine if the contributions and 
        actions of each are sufficient to meet the obligations of 
        collective self-defense under Article 5 of the North Atlantic 
        Treaty and to specify the measures needed to remedy any 
        deficiencies;
            (15) urges the President to hold the Russian Federation 
        accountable for violations of its obligations under the 
        Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and to take 
        action to bring the Russian Federation back into compliance 
        with the Treaty;
            (16) urges the President to conduct a review of the utility 
        of the INF Treaty in securing United States interests and the 
        consequences for the United States of withdrawing from the 
        Treaty if the Russian Federation does not return to compliance 
        with its provisions;
            (17) calls on Ukraine, the European Union, and other 
        countries in Europe to support energy diversification 
        initiatives to reduce the ability of the Russian Federation to 
        use its supply of energy as a means of applying political and 
        economic pressure on other countries, including by promoting 
        increased natural gas and other energy exports from the United 
        States and other countries;
            (18) urges the President to expedite the United States 
        Department of Energy's approval of liquefied natural gas 
        exports to Ukraine and other European countries;
            (19) calls on the President and the United States 
        Department of State to develop a strategy for multilateral 
        coordination to produce or otherwise procure and distribute 
        news and information in the Russian language to countries with 
        significant Russian-speaking populations which maximizes the 
        use of existing platforms for content delivery such as the 
        Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), 
        Incorporated, leverages indigenous public-private partnerships 
        for content production, and seeks in-kind contributions from 
        regional state governments;
            (20) calls on the United States Department of State to 
        identify positions at key diplomatic posts in Europe to 
        evaluate the political, economic, and cultural influence of 
        Russia and Russian state-sponsored media and to coordinate with 
        host governments on appropriate responses;
            (21) calls upon the Russian Federation to seek a mutually 
        beneficial relationship with the United States that is based on 
        respect for the independence and sovereignty of all countries 
        and their right to freely determine their future, including 
        their relationship with other nations and international 
        organizations, without interference, intimidation, or coercion 
        by other countries; and
            (22) calls for the reestablishment of a close and 
        cooperative relationship between the people of the United 
        States and the Russian people based on the shared pursuit of 
        democracy, human rights, and peace among all nations.
                                 <all>