118 SRES 547 IS: Acknowledging the two-year anniversary of Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine and expressing support for the people of Ukraine.
U.S. Senate
2024-02-08
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EN
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III
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 547
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 8 (legislative day, February 7), 2024
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Coons, Mr. Casey, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Manchin, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Fetterman, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Smith, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Carper, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Brown, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Tester, and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
RESOLUTION
Acknowledging the two-year anniversary of Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine and expressing support for the people of Ukraine.
Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale, unprovoked, and illegal invasion of Ukraine, which followed Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014;
Whereas the United States assessed that Russia’s goal for such invasion was to overthrow Ukraine’s democratically-elected government and install a puppet regime;
Whereas the international community recognizes the full territorial integrity of Ukraine;
Whereas, since February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the people of Ukraine have marshalled a determined resistance that has prevented Russia from taking control of their country;
Whereas more than 8,000,000 Ukrainian refugees have been forced to flee their homes as a result of Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas, in April 2022, evidence revealed that Russian forces had committed mass murder of more than 400 Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war in Bucha, Ukraine;
Whereas, in May 2022, Russian forces completed a siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, during which an estimated 25,000 Ukrainians were killed amid horrific humanitarian conditions, including the destruction of health and sanitary infrastructure;
Whereas evidence from cities attacked by Russian forces, including Bucha and Mariupol, confirm that Russian forces have employed rape as a weapon of war;
Whereas in addition to war crimes, Russia has committed genocide in Ukraine;
Whereas Russia had established filtration camps before the February 24, 2022, further invasion, through which more than 1,000,000 Ukrainians, including 200,000 children, have been registered, interrogated, and forcibly relocated to Russia as part of a widespread Russification campaign;
Whereas Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have engaged in anti-Semitic propaganda, including calling for the de-Nazification of Ukraine;
Whereas almost all independent media outlets have been banned, blocked, or listed as “foreign agents” in Russia since the February 24, 2022, further invasion;
Whereas, in September 2022, Russia announced the illegal annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions, including the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts in the Donbas region;
Whereas Ukraine has launched successful counteroffensives to push back Russian forces, including in the cities of Kherson and Kharkiv;
Whereas hundreds of Russian missile attacks have intentionally targeted Ukrainian critical infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, and civilian population centers;
Whereas Iran has supplied Russia with drones, some of which have been used in strikes against critical Ukrainian infrastructure;
Whereas Russia has used energy as a weapon of war, including by manipulating oil and natural gas exports to Europe;
Whereas Russia has sought to interrupt global food supply chains by blocking Ukrainian grain exports at Ukrainian ports;
Whereas global food and gas prices have risen as a direct result of Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas the Lukashenka regime in Belarus has supported Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine and allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for the invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas the Lukashenka regime has supported the illegal filtration of Ukrainians in Belarus;
Whereas, in July 2023, Ukraine was reported to have more landmines than any other country in the world, with Russian forces using at least 13 different types of antipersonnel mines that do not distinguish between military and civilian targets;
Whereas Russia unilaterally withdrew from the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports, done at Istanbul July 22, 2022 (commonly known as the “Black Sea Grain Initiative”), which had previously enabled the export of grain from Ukraine to keep global food prices stable, which has resulted in higher global food prices and the blocking of Ukrainian grain exports, which is a key component of Ukraine’s economy;
Whereas Russia and Belarus have arrested peaceful protestors aligned with anti-war, pro-democracy movements in those countries that arose in response to Russia’s further invasion;
Whereas, on December 29, 2023, Russia launched its largest air attack against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, which killed 31 people;
Whereas the United States and its transatlantic allies have stood with Ukraine by supplying military and humanitarian aid and levying sanctions to respond to Russia’s aggression and to defund Russia’s war machine;
Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has played a significant role in supporting Ukraine, including by bolstering NATO defenses, granting Finland’s accession to NATO and formally inviting Sweden to join NATO;
Whereas support for Ukraine has resulted in the reinvestment of millions of dollars into the United States defense industrial base, which has bolstered local economies and provided good-paying jobs for American families; and
Whereas Ukraine continues to resist Russia’s illegal and unprovoked further invasion in defense of its sovereignty and democracy: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
expresses condolences to the people of Ukraine for the loss of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian people since Russia’s further invasion began on February 24, 2022;
(2)
reaffirms the support of the United States for the full territorial integrity of Ukraine;
(3)
continues to acknowledge that a sovereign Ukraine is necessary for peace and stability in Europe and around the world;
(4)
commends NATO and the international community, including the United Nations, for their continued efforts to support human rights, peace, and democracy in Ukraine; and
(5)
encourages the United States and the transatlantic community to continue to stand up to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war in Ukraine and counter Russian aggression worldwide.