[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 88 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 88

Calling on the Russian Federation to stop the violence in Ukraine, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 3, 2017

 Mr. Harris (for himself, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr. Levin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Calling on the Russian Federation to stop the violence in Ukraine, and 
                          for other purposes.

Whereas in 2014, the Russian Federation forcibly and illegally occupied the 
        Ukraine territory of Crimea and invaded regions of eastern Ukraine, in 
        gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, deserving condemnation from 
        the international community;
Whereas the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was signed on December 5, 
        1994, by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Russian 
        Federation pursuant to Ukraine's, Belarus's and Kazakhstan's accession 
        to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and included 
        security assurances against threats or use of force against the 
        territorial integrity or political independence of such countries;
Whereas, on July 17, 2014, the Russian military violated Ukraine's territorial 
        integrity by firing a Buk anti-aircraft missile which downed Malaysian 
        Airlines Flight 17, killing 298 passengers and crew members;
Whereas the Russian Federation under President Vladimir Putin has engaged in 
        relentless political, economic, and military aggression to subvert the 
        independence and violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine;
Whereas combined Russian separatists have massed tens of thousands of troops on 
        its borders with Ukraine and maintained thousands of troops in eastern 
        Ukraine;
Whereas Russia has committed millions of dollars into funding propaganda, 
        disinformation, and military expenditures to further its aspirations to 
        reassemble its empire;
Whereas Russian interference in the Ukraine contributed to the death of the 
        ``Heavenly Hundred'' during the Maidan;
Whereas Russia's war in Ukraine has left more than 10,000 dead since 2014, and 
        has created a humanitarian crisis that has left 1,700,000 people 
        internally displaced;
Whereas the humanitarian crisis is worsening as more than 5,000,000 people in 
        eastern Ukraine lack sufficient access to food, emergency shelter, and 
        medical treatment;
Whereas, on January 30, 2017, according to the United States Mission to the 
        Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the number 
        of recent Russian ceasefire violations in the Donbas has spiked greatly, 
        with explosions around the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka surpassing 2,300;
Whereas damage from this recent bombardment has stranded 17,000 people, 
        estimated to include 2,500 children, in Avdiivka without water, 
        electricity, or heat in freezing conditions;
Whereas up to 400,000 individuals in the surrounding area are also at risk of 
        hypothermia with winter's freezing temperatures;
Whereas Russia's covert war in Ukraine is a clear, gross, and uncorrected 
        violation of relevant OSCE commitments;
Whereas Russia's action in Ukraine is just one aspect of its campaign to 
        undermine the international order established, and defended at great 
        cost, by the United States and its allies in the aftermath of World War 
        II and the Cold War; and
Whereas deterring Russian aggression in Ukraine is an effective way for the 
        United States to protect its vital interests in NATO and around the 
        world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the Russian Federation to--
                    (A) stop the violence in Ukraine;
                    (B) honor the ceasefire agreed to under the Minsk 
                Accord;
                    (C) withdraw heavy weapons and troops from 
                Ukraine's sovereign territory;
                    (D) stop financing the separatists in eastern 
                Ukraine;
                    (E) allow repairs to critical infrastructure; and
                    (F) fulfill all of its Minsk commitments;
            (2) expresses its sense that continued and further unlawful 
        Russian aggression in Ukraine may warrant considering the 
        imposition of additional and more burdensome sanctions on the 
        Russian Federation;
            (3) calls on the United States and other NATO countries to 
        provide more defensive military support for Ukraine in fighting 
        off Russian aggression; and
            (4) calls on the United States and the United Nations and 
        its constituent agencies to provide more support for the 
        1,700,000 internally displaced people in Ukraine.
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