[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 68 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 68
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the January 24, 2015,
attacks carried out by Russian-backed rebels on the civilian population
in Mariupol, Ukraine, and the provision of lethal and non-lethal
military assistance to Ukraine.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 4, 2015
Mr. Johnson (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the January 24, 2015,
attacks carried out by Russian-backed rebels on the civilian population
in Mariupol, Ukraine, and the provision of lethal and non-lethal
military assistance to Ukraine.
Whereas Russian-backed rebels continue to expand their campaign in Ukraine,
which has already claimed more than 5,000 lives and generated an
estimated 1,500,000 refugees and internally displaced persons;
Whereas, on January 23, 2015, Russian rebels pulled out of peace talks with
Western leaders;
Whereas, on January 24, 2015, the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol received
rocket fire from territory in the Donetsk region controlled by rebels;
Whereas, on January 24, 2015, Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the Russian-
backed rebel Donetsk People's Republic, publicly announced that his
troops had launched an offensive against Mariupol;
Whereas Mariupol is strategically located on the Sea of Azov and is a sea link
between Russian-occupied Crimea and Russia, and could be used to form
part of a land bridge between Crimea and Russia;
Whereas the indiscriminate attack on Mariupol killed 30 people, including 2
children, and wounded 102 in markets, homes, and schools;
Whereas any group that fires rockets knowingly into a civilian population is
committing war crimes and is in violation of international humanitarian
law;
Whereas, even after the Russian Federation and the Russian-backed rebels signed
a ceasefire agreement called the Minsk Protocol in September 2014,
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, General Philip Breedlove, reported in
November 2014 the movement of ``Russian troops, Russian artillery,
Russian air defense systems, and Russian combat troops'' into Ukraine;
Whereas, on January 24, 2015, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated,
``For several months we have seen the presence of Russian forces in
eastern Ukraine, as well as a substantial increase in Russian heavy
equipment such as tanks, artillery, and advanced air defense systems.
Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are supporting offensive operations
with command and control systems, air defense systems with advanced
surface-to-air missiles, unmanned aerial systems, advanced multiple
rocket launcher systems, and electronic warfare systems.'';
Whereas, on January 25, 2015, after Russian-backed rebels attacked Mariupol,
European Council President Donald Tusk wrote, ``Once again appeasement
encourages the aggressor to greater acts of violence; time to step up
our policy based on cold facts, not illusions.'';
Whereas, on November 19, 2014, at a Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
confirmation hearing, Deputy National Security Adviser Anthony Blinken
stated that the provision of defensive lethal assistance to the
Government of Ukraine ``remains on the table. It's something we're
looking at.'';
Whereas the Ukraine Freedom Support Act (Public Law 113-272), which was passed
by Congress unanimously and signed into law by the President on December
18, 2014, states that it is the policy of the United States to further
assist the Government of Ukraine in restoring its sovereignty and its
territorial integrity to deter the Government of the Russian Federation
from further destabilizing and invading Ukraine and other independent
countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia;
and
Whereas the Ukraine Freedom Support Act authorizes $350,000,000 in fiscal years
2015-2017 for the President to provide the Government of Ukraine with
defense articles, defense services, and military training for the
purpose of countering offensive weapons and reestablishing the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including anti-tank
and anti-armor weapons; crew weapons and ammunition; counter-artillery
radars; fire control and guidance equipment; surveillance drones; and
secure command and communications equipment: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) condemns the attack on Mariupol by Russian-backed
rebels;
(2) urges the President to provide lethal and non-lethal
military assistance to Ukraine as unanimously supported by
Congress in the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (Public Law
113-272);
(3) calls on the United States, its European allies, and
the international community to continue to apply economic and
other forms of pressure on the Russian Federation, especially
in the form of sanctions, if the Government of the Russian
Federation continues to refuse to cease its aggression in
Ukraine;
(4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to
immediately end its support for the rebels in eastern Ukraine,
allow Ukraine to regain control of its internationally
recognized borders, and withdraw its military presence in
eastern Ukraine; and
(5) expresses solidarity with the people of Ukraine
regarding the humanitarian crisis in their country and the
destruction caused by the military, financial, and ideological
support of the Government of the Russian Federation for the
rebels in eastern Ukraine.
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