[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1831-S1832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE ATTACKS ON THE
CIVILIAN POPULATION IN MARIUPOL, UKRAINE
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration
of and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 72.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 72) expressing the sense of the
Senate regarding the January 24, 2015, attacks carried out by
Russian-backed rebels on the civilian population in Mariupol,
Ukraine, and the provision of lethal and non-lethal military
assistance to Ukraine.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Lee
amendment be agreed to and that the Senate now vote on adoption of the
resolution, as amended.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 598) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To urge the President to prioritize and expedite the
provision of lethal and non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine,
consistent with United States national interests and policies)
On page 4, beginning on line 6, strike ``provide'' and all
that follows through ``unanimously supported by Congress'' on
lines 7 and 8 and insert ``prioritize and expedite the
provision of defensive lethal and non-lethal military
assistance to Ukraine, consistent with United States national
interests and policies, as authorized and supported by
Congress''.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution,
as amended.
The resolution (S. Res. 72), as amended, was agreed to.
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the preamble
be agreed to, the Leahy amendment to the title be agreed to, and the
motions to reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 72
Whereas Russian-backed rebels continue to expand their
campaign in Ukraine, which has already claimed more than
5,000 lives and generated an estimated 1,500,000 refugees and
internally displaced persons;
Whereas, on January 23, 2015, Russian-backed rebels pulled
out of peace talks with Western leaders;
[[Page S1832]]
Whereas, on January 24, 2015, the Ukrainian port city of
Mariupol received rocket fire from territory in the Donetsk
region controlled by rebels;
Whereas, on January 24, 2015, Alexander Zakharchenko,
leader of the Russian-backed rebel Donetsk People's Republic,
publicly announced that his troops had launched an offensive
against Mariupol;
Whereas Mariupol is strategically located on the Sea of
Azov and is a sea link between Russian-occupied Crimea and
Russia, and could be used to form part of a land bridge
between Crimea and Russia;
Whereas the indiscriminate attack on Mariupol killed 30
people, including 2 children, and wounded 102 in markets,
homes, and schools;
Whereas, on April 19, 2000, the United Nations Security
Council adopted Resolution 1296, reaffirming its strong
condemnation of the deliberate targeting of civilians;
Whereas, even after the Russian Federation and the Russian-
backed rebels signed a ceasefire agreement called the Minsk
Protocol in September 2014, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander,
General Philip Breedlove, reported in November 2014 the
movement of ``Russian troops, Russian artillery, Russian air
defense systems, and Russian combat troops'' into Ukraine;
Whereas, on January 24, 2015, NATO Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg stated, ``For several months we have seen the
presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, as well as a
substantial increase in Russian heavy equipment such as
tanks, artillery, and advanced air defense systems. Russian
troops in eastern Ukraine are supporting these offensive
operations with command and control systems, air defense
systems with advanced surface-to-air missiles, unmanned
aerial systems, advanced multiple rocket launcher systems,
and electronic warfare systems.'';
Whereas, on January 25, 2015, after Russian-backed rebels
attacked Mariupol, European Council President Donald Tusk
wrote, ``Once again appeasement encourages the aggressor to
greater acts of violence; time to step up our policy based on
cold facts, not illusions.'';
Whereas, on November 19, 2014, at a Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate confirmation hearing, Deputy National
Security Adviser Anthony Blinken stated that the provision of
defensive lethal assistance to the Government of Ukraine
``remains on the table. It's something we're looking at.'';
Whereas the Ukraine Freedom Support Act (Public Law 113-
272), which was passed by Congress unanimously and signed
into law by the President on December 18, 2014, states that
it is the policy of the United States to further assist the
Government of Ukraine in restoring its sovereignty and its
territorial integrity to deter the Government of the Russian
Federation from further destabilizing and invading Ukraine
and other independent countries in Central and Eastern
Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia; and
Whereas the Ukraine Freedom Support Act authorizes
$350,000,000 in fiscal years 2015-2017 for the President to
provide the Government of Ukraine with defense articles,
defense services, and military training for the purpose of
countering offensive weapons and reestablishing the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including
anti-tank and anti-armor weapons; crew weapons and
ammunition; counter-artillery radars; fire control and
guidance equipment; surveillance drones; and secure command
and communications equipment: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.
The Senate--
(1) condemns the attack on Mariupol by Russian-backed
rebels;
(2) urges the President to prioritize and expedite the
provision of defensive lethal and non-lethal military
assistance to Ukraine, consistent with United States national
interests and policies, as authorized and supported by
Congress in the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (Public
Law 113-272);
(3) calls on the United States, its European allies, and
the international community to continue to apply economic and
other forms of pressure on the Russian Federation, especially
in the form of sanctions, if the Government of the Russian
Federation continues to refuse to cease its aggression in
Ukraine;
(4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to
immediately end its support for the rebels in eastern
Ukraine, allow Ukraine to regain control of its
internationally recognized borders, and withdraw its military
presence in eastern Ukraine; and
(5) expresses solidarity with the people of Ukraine
regarding the humanitarian crisis in their country and the
destruction caused by the military, financial, and
ideological support of the Government of the Russian
Federation for the rebels in eastern Ukraine.
SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an
authorization for the use of force or a declaration of war.
The amendment (No. 599) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To amend the title)
Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution expressing
the sense of the Senate regarding the January 24, 2015,
attacks carried out by Russian-backed rebels on the civilian
population in Mariupol, Ukraine, and the provision of
defensive lethal and non-lethal military assistance to
Ukraine.''.
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