[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4859-S4860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 926. Mr. THUNE (for Mr. Portman) proposed an amendment to the 
resolution S. Res. 74, marking the fifth anniversary of Ukraine's 
Revolution of Dignity by honoring the bravery, determination, and 
sacrifice of the

[[Page S4860]]

people of Ukraine during and since the Revolution, and condemning 
continued Russian aggression against Ukraine; as follows:

       Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following: ``That the Senate--
       (1) remembers the courage and resolve shown by the 
     Ukrainian people in the Revolution of Dignity;
       (2) solemnly honors the ``Heavenly Hundred'' who were 
     killed during the Revolution of Dignity while fighting for 
     the causes of freedom and democracy in Ukraine;
       (3) applauds the progress that the Government of Ukraine 
     has made since the Revolution of Dignity in strengthening the 
     rule of law, aligning itself with Euro-Atlantic norms and 
     standards, and improving military combat readiness and 
     interoperability with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     (NATO);
       (4) encourages the Government of Ukraine to continue 
     implementing crucial reforms to fight corruption, build 
     strong and free markets, and strengthen democracy and the 
     rule of law;
       (5) affirms the United States Government's unwavering 
     commitment to supporting the continuing efforts of the 
     Government of Ukraine to implement democratic and free market 
     reforms, restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity, as well 
     as providing additional lethal and non-lethal security 
     assistance to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities on 
     land, sea, and in the air in order to improve deterrence 
     against Russian aggression;
       (6) condemns the Russian Federation's ongoing malign 
     activities against Ukraine and renews its call on the 
     Government of the Russian Federation to immediately cease all 
     activity that seeks to undermine Ukraine and destabilize the 
     European continent;
       (7) declares that nothing in this resolution shall be 
     construed as an authorization for the use of military force;
       (8) reiterates its strong condemnation of the provocative 
     actions and unjustified use of military force by the 
     Government of the Russian Federation in the Kerch Strait 
     against the Ukrainian Navy on November 25, 2018, as a blatant 
     violation of the Russian Federation's commitments under 
     international law and the 2003 Treaty Between the Russian 
     Federation and Ukraine on Cooperation in the Use of the Sea 
     of Azov and the Kerch Strait;
       (9) expresses its support to all Ukrainian political 
     prisoners convicted on fabricated charges and incarcerated by 
     Russian or Russian-controlled authorities, including the 
     Ukrainian sailors seized in the November 25, 2018, attack 
     near the Kerch Strait who are due treatment under the 1949 
     Geneva Conventions and have been illegally kept in detention 
     in the territory of the Russian Federation, while renewing 
     its strong call on the Kremlin to immediately release these 
     Ukrainian citizens;
       (10) affirms the Department of State's Crimea Declaration, 
     announced on July 25, 2018, that rejects Russia's attempted 
     annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy 
     until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored;
       (11) believes that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline poses a major 
     threat to European security, seeks to further undermine 
     Ukraine's economic stability, and threatens to increase the 
     country's vulnerability to further Russian military 
     incursions;
       (12) calls upon the United States Government, as well as 
     its international allies and partners, to maintain a strong 
     sanctions regime against the Russian Federation until it 
     upholds its international obligations towards Ukraine, 
     including the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and 
     the Minsk Agreements;
       (13) congratulates the people of Ukraine on the 
     announcement on January 6, 2019, of autocephaly for an 
     independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which has marked an 
     important milestone in Ukraine's pursuit of its own future 
     free from Russian influence;
       (14) congratulates the people of Ukraine on the successful 
     conclusion of free and fair presidential elections in the 
     spring of 2019, and on the inauguration of the new President 
     of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky;
       (15) believes that the strengthening of Ukraine's democracy 
     over the past five years, most visibly displayed in the 
     conduct of the country's recent presidential election and 
     peaceful transition of power, should serve as a positive 
     example to other post-Soviet countries; and
       (16) looks forward to the peaceful, free, and fair conduct 
     of Ukraine's upcoming parliamentary elections.

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