[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 32 (Thursday, February 17, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S791-S792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 519--SUPPORTING AN INDEPENDENT AND DEMOCRATIC UKRAINE 
 AGAINST ANY FURTHER RUSSIAN MILITARY INVASION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
Menendez, Mr. Risch, Mr. Coons, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Cramer, 
Mr. Carper, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Graham, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. 
Capito, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Burr, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Romney, Mrs. Murray, 
Mr. Hoeven, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Brown, Mr. 
Scott of Florida, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
Barrasso, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Padilla, 
Mr. Moran, Mr. King, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Peters, 
Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Heinrich) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 519

       Whereas, on January 21, 1990, more than 300,000 Ukrainians 
     called for unity and independence from the Soviet Union by 
     forming a human chain between the cities of Kyiv and Ivano-
     Frankivsk;
       Whereas, on August 24, 1991, the elected Verkhovna Rada of 
     Ukraine declared the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet 
     Union with an overwhelming majority vote;
       Whereas, on December 1, 1991, more than 90 percent of 
     Ukrainian citizens voted in a national referendum in support 
     of independence, with majorities in every region;
       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 deepened its relationship 
     with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, recognized as an 
     Enhanced Opportunities Partner;
       Whereas, on December 5, 1994, in an effort to solidify 
     security commitments to Ukraine in return for its nuclear 
     disarmament, the United States, the Russian Federation, and 
     the United Kingdom signed the Budapest Memorandum on Security 
     Assurances, whereby each country pledged to respect the 
     independence and sovereignty of Ukraine's borders while 
     refraining from the threat or use of force against Ukraine;
       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 elections under free and fair conditions;
       Whereas, on November 21, 2013, the Euromaidan protests 
     began in favor of signing the European Union-Ukraine 
     Association Agreement, resulting in the Revolution of Dignity 
     and the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych by the 
     Verkhovna Rada;
       Whereas, on February 20, 2014, the Russian Federation 
     invaded the independent state of Ukraine, which continues to 
     confront malign Russian activity, including the ongoing 
     attempted annexation of Crimea, conflict in the Donbas 
     region, and threats to freedom of navigation in the Black Sea 
     and the Sea of Azov;
       Whereas, on February 12, 2015, a new package of measures to 
     end the conflict in Ukraine, known as ``Minsk II'', was 
     signed, provisions of which have still not yet been fully 
     implemented;
       Whereas at least 14,000 Ukrainians have been killed 
     defending their homeland and

[[Page S792]]

     millions more displaced since the conflict with Russia began;
       Whereas, on September 1, 2017, the European Union-Ukraine 
     Association Agreement came into effect;
       Whereas, in March and November 2021, the Russian Federation 
     deployed a massive troop and weapons buildup on the border 
     with Ukraine;
       Whereas, on January 28, 2022, NATO Secretary General Jens 
     Stoltenberg stated, ``Our aim is . . .to convey a clear 
     message to Russia . . . if they use military force against 
     Ukraine it will have severe consequences. NATO allies are 
     ready to impose heavy economic sanctions--political, 
     financial sanctions.'';
       Whereas, on February 12, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden 
     warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the West ``will 
     respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs'' if 
     Russia further 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,

     SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       The Senate--
       (1) commends the courage, resolve, and restraint shown by 
     the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of sovereignty and 
     democracy, and pays tribute to the many men and women who 
     gave their lives in pursuit of a free and democratic Ukraine;
       (2) reaffirms unwavering United States support for a 
     secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine, free to choose 
     its own leaders and future;
       (3) condemns the illegal military invasion of Ukraine, the 
     attempted annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 
     2014, and the violence fomented by Russian proxies in eastern 
     Ukraine, an active conflict that continues in 2022;
       (4) reaffirms unwavering United States commitment to 
     support the continuing efforts of the Government of Ukraine 
     to restore its territorial integrity by providing political, 
     diplomatic, and military support, including additional lethal 
     and non-lethal security assistance to strengthen the defense 
     capabilities of Ukraine;
       (5) denounces the Russian military buildup of over 150,000 
     troops on Ukraine's border, including in Belarus, threatening 
     the security of bordering NATO allies as provocative and 
     reckless, contrary to established international norms;
       (6) condemns the Russian Federation's continued disregard 
     of international maritime law by partially blocking parts of 
     the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, which hamper freedom of 
     navigation exercises and significantly impact Ukraine's 
     economy;
       (7) encourages the President that, should any further 
     invasion or other malign activity to undermine the 
     sovereignty of Ukraine occur by Russia, the United States 
     Government should use the tools at its disposal to impose 
     significant costs on the Russian Federation to restore peace 
     in Europe; and
       (8) encourages unity among NATO allies and the broader 
     transatlantic community to convey solidarity in response to 
     Russia's unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine.

     SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this resolution may be construed as--
       (1) a declaration of war or an authorization for the use of 
     military force against the Russian Federation; or
       (2) authorization for the introduction of the United States 
     Armed Forces into Ukraine.

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