[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 909 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 909

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Russian 
    Federation's status as a permanent member of the United Nations 
   Security Council contravenes the spirit and purpose of the United 
   Nations, that the rights and privileges it enjoys in that role be 
 limited, suspended, or terminated, and that the Republic of India be 
appointed as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council 
          with all the rights and privileges of the position.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 5, 2023

    Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Reschenthaler, Mr. 
  Fitzpatrick, and Ms. Van Duyne) submitted the following resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Russian 
    Federation's status as a permanent member of the United Nations 
   Security Council contravenes the spirit and purpose of the United 
   Nations, that the rights and privileges it enjoys in that role be 
 limited, suspended, or terminated, and that the Republic of India be 
appointed as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council 
          with all the rights and privileges of the position.

Whereas, on March 2, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly 
        approved a resolution condemning the Russian Federation's invasion of 
        Ukraine, demanded the Russian Federation's immediate withdrawal from 
        Ukraine, and reaffirmed Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity;
Whereas the Russian Federation has carried out a brutal war against Ukraine, 
        threatening to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign nation state, and has 
        attempted to annex entire regions of Ukraine's sovereign territory to 
        its own benefit;
Whereas the Russian Federation has committed atrocities against Ukrainian 
        civilians, has occupied and threatened to destroy civilian-use nuclear 
        power stations, placing millions of people both inside and outside 
        Ukraine at risk, and has purposefully caused the destruction of entire 
        Ukrainian cities;
Whereas the Russian Federation has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons 
        against Ukraine in disregard of the Joint Statement on Preventing 
        Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races that the Russian Federation adopted 
        in 2022, in concurrence with the 4 other permanent members of the United 
        Nations Security Council;
Whereas the Russian Federation is in violation of its commitments under the 
        Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with Ukraine's Accession 
        to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed in 
        Budapest on December 7, 1994, whereby Ukraine agreed to relinquish its 
        nuclear weapons in exchange for the assurances of the Russian Federation 
        that it would respect the independence, sovereignty, and existing 
        borders of Ukraine, and would refrain from the threat or use of force 
        against the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to threaten the local and global food 
        supply by destroying crop harvests, reducing agricultural yields, and 
        preventing deliveries to and from Ukraine in violation of its 
        commitments under the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and 
        Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports which it adopted on July 22, 2022;
Whereas the Russian Federation's continued war of aggression against Ukraine 
        since February 24, 2022, and its escalation of military activities to 
        unprecedented levels have caused thousands of civilian casualties, 
        displaced millions of people, devastated Ukraine cities, destroyed most 
        of the countryside, and stretched the humanitarian capacities of 
        Ukraine's neighboring nations to provide aid and shelter to Ukraine and 
        her displaced citizens to their limits;
Whereas the Russian Federation has repeatedly chosen brutal force over diplomacy 
        to achieve its foreign policy objectives, in violation of the 
        international norms that govern the peaceful coexistence of nations, 
        thereby showing a blatant disregard for the core principles and values 
        of the United Nations and its Charter;
Whereas the Russian aggression in Ukraine has been strongly condemned by the 
        international community;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to curtail the freedom of expression 
        and the freedom of assembly in its own country via the closure of 
        independent news organizations, the intensification of crackdowns and 
        the manipulation of Russian citizens, the repression of peaceful 
        protests, and the application of extreme restrictions on access to 
        social media to control the narrative of the Ukraine war and its 
        activities therein;
Whereas the spirit, purpose, and principles of the United Nations have been 
        obstructed by the Russian Federation and its malfeasant behavior;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to utilize its veto power to block 
        United Nations Security Council resolutions that are detrimental to its 
        national interests, resulting in the paralysis of the Security Council, 
        inhibiting its very function and purpose, and exacerbating the 
        geopolitical rivalry between Western democracies and the dictatorships 
        of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation;
Whereas the Russian Federation's continued brutal aggression is a fundamental 
        violation of the United Nations Charter;
Whereas the Russian Federation has ignored its obligation to observe and 
        implement rulings and recommendations issued by United Nations bodies, 
        including determinations by the United Nations General Assembly, the 
        United Nations Human Rights Council, the International Court of Justice, 
        the President of the United Nations Security Council, and the United 
        Nations Secretary General, which have called for the Russian Federation 
        to cease all military operations in Ukraine and stop its human rights 
        violations and illegal annexation of Ukrainian sovereign territory;
Whereas the Russian Federation has abused its veto power and violated the 
        procedures of the United Nations Security Council under Article 23, 
        paragraph 1 of the United Nations Charter with false claims and 
        disagreements;
Whereas the Russian Federation has blocked 152 resolutions, by veto, since the 
        Security Council's founding, more than any other nation, and as of 
        February 2023, has effectively stopped the business of the Security 
        Council;
Whereas nations in the international community and international organizations 
        have condemned the Russian Federation's violations of international law 
        and taken actions to condemn the Russian Federation;
Whereas Article 6 of the United Nations Charter permits the United Nations 
        Security Council to recommend the expulsion of a member nation that has 
        persistently violated the principles of the United Nations Charter upon 
        a two-thirds vote of the United Nations General Assembly;
Whereas the United Nations has the power to amend its Charter to remove or add 
        new permanent members;
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly established an open-ended working 
        group in 1993 to address the issue of Security Council reform;
Whereas discussions have occurred regarding many aspects of Security Council 
        reform, including--

    (1) increasing the number of permanent members;

    (2) increasing the number of nonpermanent members;

    (3) discussing the status of new permanent members, including extension 
of the veto to such members;

    (4) the continuation of the veto power; and

    (5) limits on veto use;

Whereas Security Council reform discussions have increased recently, due in part 
        to some United Nations members' objections to the Security Council's 
        lack of action regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict;
Whereas the United States has generally supported enlarging Security Council 
        membership, both for permanent and nonpermanent members, and cited the 
        importance of providing permanent seats for those nations that the 
        United States has long supported, including the Republic of India;
Whereas the issue of the Republic of India's accession to a permanent seat on 
        the United Nations Security Council is not new, but has been discussed 
        by permanent members since the 1950s;
Whereas the Republic of India was a founding member of the United Nations;
Whereas the Republic of India has served as a nonpermanent member of the United 
        Nations Security Council for 8 terms (16 years), with the last term 
        ending in 2022;
Whereas the Republic of India has grown into an emerging diplomatic, economic, 
        military, and technological powerhouse and the world's most populous 
        country;
Whereas the Republic of India is South Asia's predominant nation with nearly 
        1,400,000,000 citizens and the world's sixth-largest economy;
Whereas the Republic of India has expressed an interest in becoming a permanent 
        member of the United Nations Security Council for decades, most recently 
        in response to the paralysis of the United Nations Security Council over 
        the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas the Republic of India's case for permanent membership has focused on its 
        existing contributions to peace and security;
Whereas, since the onset of United Nations peacekeeping missions in 1948, the 
        Republic of India has sent contingents of personnel on over 49 
        operations, contributed close to 200,000 military troops, and lost more 
        than 160 military personnel in service to United Nations missions;
Whereas the emergence of the United States-Republic of India partnership has 
        been a noteworthy reformation of the geopolitical landscape in the 21st 
        century, including extensive cooperation on defense operations and 
        military-to-military weapon sales discussions;
Whereas the Republic of India is a key player in the United States Indo-Pacific 
        strategy and a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which has 
        rapidly become a strong and outspoken regional partnership dedicated to 
        advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific;
Whereas the United States not only views the Republic of India as an emerging 
        great power player and important partner of the United States, but as a 
        fundamental counterbalance to China's growing international influence;
Whereas the United States and the Republic of India have pursued a strategic 
        partnership and an expansion of bilateral security cooperation to 
        include sales of United States weapons to the Republic of India and the 
        Republic of India's participation in combined military exercises;
Whereas the Republic of India shares common values with the United States and 
        many of the permanent members, supports the principles of the United 
        Nations Charter, and seeks to promote a rules-based international order 
        that safeguards sovereignty and territorial integrity, upholds 
        democratic values, and promotes peace and prosperity;
Whereas, in contrast, the Russian Federation thwarts the purpose of the United 
        Nations and continues to be in direct violation of the principles of the 
        United Nations Charter and the Security Council; and
Whereas the Security Council is the principal organ of the United Nations, with 
        the primary responsibility for maintaining global peace and security: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
        the Russian Federation's attack on Ukraine is a breach of the 
        United Nations Charter, qualifying as a ``crime against peace'' 
        as defined by the Charter of the International Military 
        Tribunal (Nuremberg Charter) and as an ``aggression'' per the 
        terms of Resolution 3314 (XXIX) of the United Nations General 
        Assembly adopted in 1974; and
            (2) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) condemns, in the strongest terms possible, the 
                Russian Federation's brutal attack against Ukraine, and 
                reaffirms its continuing support for the Ukrainian 
                people, and the sovereignty, independence, and 
                territorial integrity of the nation of Ukraine;
                    (B) is deeply disturbed by evidence of violations 
                of human rights and international humanitarian law by 
                the Russian Federation, including attacks against 
                civilian targets, indiscriminate use of artillery and 
                weapons, attacks on humanitarian corridors, and the 
                taking of hostages;
                    (C) finds that the Russian Federation has 
                repeatedly and with intent, through the exercise of its 
                veto power and actions, violated the spirit, 
                principles, and the very purpose of the United Nations 
                and has hindered the United Nations in its ability to 
                fulfill its role of maintaining global peace and 
                security in the world;
                    (D) finds that the Russian Federation's actions are 
                antagonistic and counterproductive to the interests of 
                the United Nations, the United States, and the other 
                permanent members of the United Nations Security 
                Council;
                    (E) finds that the Republic of India shares core 
                democratic values with the United States and other 
                permanent member nations;
                    (F) finds that the Republic of India supports the 
                principles of the United Nations Charter and seeks to 
                promote a rules-based international order that 
                safeguards sovereignty and territorial integrity, 
                upholds democratic values, and promotes peace and 
                prosperity;
                    (G) finds that the accession of the Republic of 
                India to a permanent seat on the United Nations 
                Security Council would further the purpose and 
                principles of the United Nations and would be 
                beneficial to the furtherance of the interests and 
                national security goals of the United States; and
                    (H) urges the President of the United States to 
                direct the Department of State and all other relevant 
                Federal departments and agencies to engage in all 
                appropriate measures--
                            (i) to determine whether the Russian 
                        Federation is, lawfully, a member of the United 
                        Nations Security Council since the United 
                        Nations Charter itself assigned the 
                        responsibility to the Union of Soviet Socialist 
                        Republics and was never amended to reflect its 
                        dissolution; and
                            (ii) in conjunction with United Nations 
                        permanent members, nonpermanent members, and 
                        allies--
                                    (I) to limit, suspend, or terminate 
                                the rights and privileges that the 
                                Russian Federation enjoys as a 
                                permanent member of the United Nations 
                                Security Council; and
                                    (II) to support the accession of 
                                the Republic of India as a permanent 
                                member of the United Nations Security 
                                Council, to enjoy all the rights and 
                                privileges of that position, and to do 
                                the same with respect to ensuring that 
                                the Republic of India enjoys membership 
                                in all other organs and specialized 
                                agencies of the United Nations.
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