[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 217 (Thursday, December 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9264-S9265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 480--TO SUPPORT AN INDEPENDENT AND DEMOCRATIC UKRAINE 
 AGAINST ANY FURTHER RUSSIAN MILITARY INVASION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Graham, Mr. Portman, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Casey, 
Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Rubio) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.:

                              S. Res. 480

       Whereas, on August 24, 1991, the Ukrainian parliament voted 
     overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union and set 
     December 1, 1991, for a national independence referendum;
       Whereas, on December 1, 1991, more than 90 percent of 
     Ukrainians voting in the referendum supported independence;
       Whereas, by December 25, 1991, the United States joined 
     more than 20 countries, including Russia, in recognizing 
     Ukrainian independence;
       Whereas the newly independent Ukraine, while rich in 
     natural resources and human talent, also inherited endemic 
     corruption, an aging Soviet infrastructure, government 
     mismanagement, and significant economic challenges;
       Whereas the newly independent Ukraine also inherited one of 
     the world's largest nuclear weapons arsenals;
       Whereas, on December 5, 1994, Ukraine joined the United 
     States, Russia, and the United Kingdom in signing the 
     ``Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances,'' in which it 
     agreed to remove all nuclear weapons from its territory in 
     exchange for assurance that Russia would respect its 
     sovereignty;
       Whereas, on February 8, 1994, Ukraine was the first member 
     state of the Commonwealth of Independent States to join the 
     Partnership for Peace program of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) and has since been recognized as an 
     Enhanced Opportunities Partner;
       Whereas, on November 22, 2004, Ukrainians peacefully took 
     to the streets in protest of a fraudulent presidential 
     election, beginning the Orange Revolution and resulting in 
     new free and fair elections;
       Whereas, on November 21, 2013, peaceful protests began on 
     Independence Square (Maidan) in Kyiv against the decision by 
     then-President Viktor Yanukovych to suspend signing the 
     Ukraine-European Union (EU) Association Agreement and instead 
     pursue closer ties with the Russian Federation;
       Whereas the Maidan protests quickly drew thousands of 
     people and broadened to become a general demonstration in 
     support of Ukraine's integration with the European Union and 
     against widespread Yanukovych regime corruption;
       Whereas, from February 18-20, 2014, an estimated 104 people 
     were killed and 2,500 injured as a result of violent 
     crackdowns by authorities against protesters;
       Whereas, beginning February 20, 2014, the Russian 
     Federation clandestinely invaded Ukraine, with Russian troops 
     claiming to be Ukrainian separatists, and since then have 
     militarily occupied the regions of Crimea and Donbas;
       Whereas, on February 22, 2014, and following months of 
     protests, the Ukrainian Parliament voted to remove President 
     Yanukovych and hold early presidential election in May;
       Whereas, on May 25, 2014, President Petro Poroshenko was 
     elected on a message of strengthening Ukraine's territorial 
     integrity, negotiating with Russia, and strengthening ties 
     with Europe;
       Whereas, on July 17, 2014, Russian-backed separatists shot 
     down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine with 
     Russian missiles, killing all 298 people on board;
       Whereas, on September 5, 2014, Ukraine, the Russian 
     Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-
     operation in Europe (OSCE) signed the Minsk Protocol aimed at 
     ending the conflict, which the Russian Federation continued 
     to violate;
       Whereas, on February 12, 2015, a new package of measures to 
     end the conflict in Ukraine was signed, known as Minsk II, 
     provisions of which have still not yet been fully 
     implemented;
       Whereas at least 14,000 Ukrainians have been killed 
     defending their homeland and millions more displaced since 
     the conflict with Russia began;
       Whereas, on September 1, 2017, the European Union-Ukraine 
     Association Agreement came into force;
       Whereas, on April 21, 2019, President Volodymyr Zelensnky 
     was elected on a platform of fighting corruption and 
     restarting peace talks with Russian-backed separatists;
       Whereas, on July 16, 2019, the United States Senate 
     unanimously passed S. Res. 74 (116th Congress), marking the 
     fifth anniversary of Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity by 
     honoring the bravery, determination, and sacrifice of the 
     people of Ukraine during and since the Revolution, and 
     condemning continued Russian aggression against Ukraine;
       Whereas, in early and again in late 2021, Russia deployed a 
     massive troop and weapons buildup on the border with Ukraine;
       Whereas, on December 1, 2021, NATO Secretary General Jens 
     Stoltenberg said that if Russia decides to once again ``use 
     force against Ukraine, then we have made it clear. . . during 
     the NATO Foreign Minister meeting in Latvia today that Russia 
     will then have to pay a high price; there will be serious 
     consequences for Russia. . .And that's a clear message from 
     NATO.'';
       Whereas, on December 7, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden 
     warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the West would 
     impose ``strong economic and other measures'' if Russia 
     invades Ukraine; and
       Whereas, on December 12, 2021, at a meeting in Liverpool, 
     delegates of the Group of Seven (G7) released a joint 
     statement saying, ``Russia should be in no doubt that further 
     military aggression against Ukraine would have massive 
     consequences and severe cost in response. . . We reaffirm our 
     unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and 
     territorial integrity, as well as the right of any sovereign 
     state to determine its own future.'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) denounces the current Russian military buildup on the 
     Ukraine boarder as provocative, reckless, and contrary to 
     established international norms;
       (2) reaffirms unwavering United States support for a 
     secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine free to choose 
     its own leaders and future;
       (3) reaffirms unwavering United States and NATO commitment 
     to support the continuing efforts of the Government of 
     Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity by providing 
     consistent political and diplomatic support and additional 
     lethal and non-lethal security assistance to strengthen the 
     defense capabilities of Ukraine on land and sea and in the 
     air; and

[[Page S9265]]

       (4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     abide by commitments agreed to in 2014 and 2015 in the Minsk 
     agreements.

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