[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 360 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 360

 Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine from 
                        the former Soviet Union.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 14, 2021

 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Johnson, and 
 Mr. Durbin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine from 
                        the former Soviet Union.

Whereas, on January 21, 1990, more than 300,000 Ukrainians called for unity and 
        independence from the Soviet Union by forming a human chain between the 
        cities of Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk;
Whereas, on August 24, 1991, the elected Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared the 
        independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union with an overwhelming 
        majority of the vote;
Whereas, on December 1, 1991, more than 90 percent of Ukrainian citizens voted 
        in a national referendum in support of independence, with majorities in 
        every region;
Whereas, on February 8, 1994, Ukraine was the first member state of the 
        Commonwealth of Independent States to join the Partnership for Peace 
        program of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and has since deepened 
        its relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, recognized 
        as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner;
Whereas, on November 22, 2004, Ukrainians peacefully took to the streets in 
        protest of a fraudulent presidential election, beginning the Orange 
        Revolution and resulting in new elections under free and fair 
        conditions;
Whereas, on November 21, 2013, the Euromaidan protests began, resulting in the 
        Revolution of Dignity and the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych by 
        the Verkhovna Rada;
Whereas, on February 20, 2014, the Russian Federation invaded the independent 
        state of Ukraine, and Ukraine continues to confront malign Russian 
        activity, including the ongoing occupation of the Crimea region, 
        conflict in the Donbas region, and threats to freedom of navigation in 
        the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov;
Whereas Ukraine has made significant progress on defense reforms and has 
        deployed in numerous conflicts with the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization in support of allied and coalition operations;
Whereas the United States-Ukraine Trade and Investment Council continues its 
        mission of reducing trade barriers in the bilateral relationship, and 
        Ukraine continues to seek economic alignment with Europe and the West; 
        and
Whereas Ukraine has continued to progress on a path toward democracy and has 
        prioritized closer engagement with the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization and the European Union: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the courage and resolve shown by the 
        Ukrainian people in their pursuit of sovereignty and democracy;
            (2) remembers the Euromaidan demonstrations of November 
        2013 as a major step forward in the journey of Ukraine toward 
        democracy;
            (3) condemns the illegal military invasion and occupation 
        of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014 and the violence 
        fomented by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine, two active 
        conflicts that continue in 2021;
            (4) affirms the Crimea Declaration issued and announced by 
        the Department of State on July 24, 2018, which rejects the 
        illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and 
        pledges to maintain that position until the territorial 
        integrity of Ukraine is restored;
            (5) applauds the progress that the Government of Ukraine 
        has made in aligning with Euro-Atlantic norms and standards and 
        improving military combat readiness and interoperability with 
        the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
            (6) encourages the Government of Ukraine to continue 
        implementing crucial reforms to fight corruption, build strong 
        and free markets, and strengthen democracy and the rule of law;
            (7) affirms the unwavering commitment of the United States 
        Government to support the continuing efforts of the Government 
        of Ukraine to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity by 
        providing consistent political and diplomatic support and 
        additional lethal and non-lethal security assistance to 
        strengthen the defense capabilities of Ukraine on land and sea 
        and in the air;
            (8) condemns the ongoing malign activities carried out by 
        the Russian Federation against Ukraine and continues to call 
        upon the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately 
        cease all activity that seeks to undermine Ukraine and 
        destabilize Europe;
            (9) calls upon the United States Government and its 
        international allies and partners to increase sanctions 
        pressure against the Russian Federation until the Russian 
        Federation upholds its international obligations to respect the 
        territorial integrity of Ukraine, including obligations under 
        the Memorandum on security assurances in connection with 
        Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of 
        Nuclear Weapons, signed at Budapest December 5, 1994, and the 
        Minsk agreements agreed to in 2014 and 2015;
            (10) congratulates the people of Ukraine on the 
        announcement on January 6, 2019, of autocephaly for an 
        independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which marked an 
        important milestone in Ukraine's pursuit of its own future free 
        from Kremlin influence;
            (11) celebrates 3 decades of Ukrainian independence and the 
        strong partnership between the peoples and governments of the 
        United States and Ukraine; and
            (12) welcomes the September 1, 2021, visit to Washington, 
        DC, by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky 
        at the invitation of President Joseph R. Biden to further 
        deepen the bonds between the United States and Ukraine.
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