[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 46 (Thursday, March 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1905-S1906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 109--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE MARCH 
               31, 2019, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN UKRAINE

  Mr. MERKLEY (for himself and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 109

       Whereas the Senate agrees with Senate Resolution 78, 115th 
     Congress, introduced by Senators Menendez and Graham, which 
     expressed the sense of the Senate recognizing 3 years of 
     Russian military aggression in Ukraine;
       Whereas the Senate concurs with Senate Resolution 27, 116th 
     Congress, introduced by Senators Johnson and Durbin, which 
     calls for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation 
     operation in the Black Sea and urges the cancellation of the 
     Nord Stream 2 pipeline;
       Whereas the Senate endorses H.R. 596, 116th Congress, 
     introduced by Representatives Connolly and Chabot, which 
     affirms that it is the policy of the United States not to 
     recognize the de jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian 
     Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial 
     waters;
       Whereas the Senate reaffirms the importance of the Ukraine 
     Freedom Support Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-272; 128 Stat. 
     2952),

[[Page S1906]]

     which authorized increased security and economic assistance 
     for Ukraine;
       Whereas the Senate welcomes resolutions of Congress, such 
     as House Resolution 202, 115th Congress, sponsored by 
     Representative Delaney, which reaffirmed the commitment of 
     the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
       Whereas the Senate notes the upcoming March 31, 2019, 
     presidential election in Ukraine and the importance of a free 
     and fair election to sustaining the principles and dreams of 
     the 2014 Maidan Revolution;
       Whereas the Senate expresses concern that the Government of 
     the Russian Federation will continue to interfere in the 
     election process and voting in the March 31, 2019, 
     presidential election in Ukraine; and
       Whereas the Senate agrees with former United States 
     Ambassador to the Russian Federation Michael McFaul that 
     ``Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging a global 
     ideological war against Western liberal, democratic values. 
     It has been underway for many years, and it extends from his 
     own immediate neighborhood to Western Europe and, of course, 
     the United States, where he intervened in the U.S. 
     presidential election in 2016. The front line of this 
     ideological war between Putinism and democracy, however, 
     remains Ukraine.'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the United States Government does not prefer any 
     particular candidate in the March 31, 2019, presidential 
     election in Ukraine and seeks only a transparent and 
     democratic election that reflects the will of the people of 
     Ukraine;
       (2) the United States Government will continue to support 
     democracy and good governance in Ukraine, including anti-
     corruption initiatives, an independent media, and efforts to 
     strengthen the rule of law, to support the ideals of the 
     revolution of dignity of Ukraine;
       (3) the United States should continue to work with allies 
     to provide additional capacity building and technical support 
     in order to deter Russian efforts to disrupt voting or 
     undermine the legitimacy of the results of the presidential 
     election in Ukraine; and
       (4) not later than 90 days after the date on which this 
     resolution is agreed to, the President should provide a 
     briefing to Congress--
       (A) assessing the scope and scale of Russian interference 
     in the presidential campaign in Ukraine and vote tabulation 
     on election day; and
       (B) assessing the future course of United States-Ukrainian 
     relations under whichever candidate is declared the winner of 
     the presidential election.

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