[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 480 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 480

 To support an independent and democratic Ukraine against any further 
           Russian military invasion, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 16, 2021

  Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. 
 Klobuchar, Mr. Graham, Mr. Portman, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Casey, 
 Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Rubio) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To support an independent and democratic Ukraine against any further 
           Russian military invasion, and for other purposes.

Whereas, on August 24, 1991, the Ukrainian parliament voted overwhelmingly for 
        independence from the Soviet Union and set December 1, 1991, for a 
        national independence referendum;
Whereas, on December 1, 1991, more than 90 percent of Ukrainians voting in the 
        referendum supported independence;
Whereas, by December 25, 1991, the United States joined more than 20 countries, 
        including Russia, in recognizing Ukrainian independence;
Whereas the newly independent Ukraine, while rich in natural resources and human 
        talent, also inherited endemic corruption, an aging Soviet 
        infrastructure, government mismanagement, and significant economic 
        challenges;
Whereas the newly independent Ukraine also inherited one of the world's largest 
        nuclear weapons arsenals;
Whereas, on December 5, 1994, Ukraine joined the United States, Russia, and the 
        United Kingdom in signing the ``Budapest Memorandum on Security 
        Assurances,'' in which it agreed to remove all nuclear weapons from its 
        territory in exchange for assurance that Russia would respect its 
        sovereignty;
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 (NATO) and has since 
        been 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 free and fair elections;
Whereas, on November 21, 2013, peaceful protests began on Independence Square 
        (Maidan) in Kyiv against the decision by then-President Viktor 
        Yanukovych to suspend signing the Ukraine-European Union (EU) 
        Association Agreement and instead pursue closer ties with the Russian 
        Federation;
Whereas the Maidan protests quickly drew thousands of people and broadened to 
        become a general demonstration in support of Ukraine's integration with 
        the European Union and against widespread Yanukovych regime corruption;
Whereas, from February 18-20, 2014, an estimated 104 people were killed and 
        2,500 injured as a result of violent crackdowns by authorities against 
        protesters;
Whereas, beginning February 20, 2014, the Russian Federation clandestinely 
        invaded Ukraine, with Russian troops claiming to be Ukrainian 
        separatists, and since then have militarily occupied the regions of 
        Crimea and Donbas;
Whereas, on February 22, 2014, and following months of protests, the Ukrainian 
        Parliament voted to remove President Yanukovych and hold early 
        presidential election in May;
Whereas, on May 25, 2014, President Petro Poroshenko was elected on a message of 
        strengthening Ukraine's territorial integrity, negotiating with Russia, 
        and strengthening ties with Europe;
Whereas, on July 17, 2014, Russian-backed separatists shot down Malaysia 
        Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine with Russian missiles, killing 
        all 298 people on board;
Whereas, on September 5, 2014, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the 
        Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) signed the 
        Minsk Protocol aimed at ending the conflict, which the Russian 
        Federation continued to violate;
Whereas, on February 12, 2015, a new package of measures to end the conflict in 
        Ukraine was signed, known as Minsk II, provisions of which have still 
        not yet been fully implemented;
Whereas at least 14,000 Ukrainians have been killed defending their homeland and 
        millions more displaced since the conflict with Russia began;
Whereas, on September 1, 2017, the European Union-Ukraine Association Agreement 
        came into force;
Whereas, on April 21, 2019, President Volodymyr Zelensnky was elected on a 
        platform of fighting corruption and restarting peace talks with Russian-
        backed separatists;
Whereas, on July 16, 2019, the United States Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 
        74 (116th Congress), marking the fifth anniversary of Ukraine's 
        Revolution of Dignity by honoring the bravery, determination, and 
        sacrifice of the people of Ukraine during and since the Revolution, and 
        condemning continued Russian aggression against Ukraine;
Whereas, in early and again in late 2021, Russia deployed a massive troop and 
        weapons buildup on the border with Ukraine;
Whereas, on December 1, 2021, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that 
        if Russia decides to once again ``use force against Ukraine, then we 
        have made it clear . . . during the NATO Foreign Minister meeting in 
        Latvia today that Russia will then have to pay a high price; there will 
        be serious consequences for Russia . . . And that's a clear message from 
        NATO.'';
Whereas, on December 7, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden warned Russian President 
        Vladimir Putin that the West would impose ``strong economic and other 
        measures'' if Russia invades Ukraine; and
Whereas, on December 12, 2021, at a meeting in Liverpool, delegates of the Group 
        of Seven (G7) released a joint statement saying, ``Russia should be in 
        no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have 
        massive consequences and severe cost in response . . . We reaffirm our 
        unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial 
        integrity, as well as the right of any sovereign state to determine its 
        own future.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) denounces the current Russian military buildup on the 
        Ukraine boarder as provocative, reckless, and contrary to 
        established international norms;
            (2) reaffirms unwavering United States support for a 
        secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine free to choose its 
        own leaders and future;
            (3) reaffirms unwavering United States and NATO commitment 
        to support the continuing efforts of the Government of Ukraine 
        to restore its 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; and
            (4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        abide by commitments agreed to in 2014 and 2015 in the Minsk 
        agreements.
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