[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 124 (Wednesday, July 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 302--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE TO SUPPORT 
 UKRAINE'S ACCESSION INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION (NATO)

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

                              S. Res. 302

       Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was 
     established to provide ``for [the] collective defence and for 
     the preservation of peace and security'' of its members 
     through promoting cooperation and committing them to 
     democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law, and the 
     peaceful resolution of disputes;
       Whereas, on August 24, 1991, Ukraine became a sovereign, 
     independent nation and started a long process of reforms with 
     the goal of achieving democracy, transparency, and rule of 
     law;
       Whereas, on December 5, 1994, Ukraine signed the Budapest 
     Memorandum and surrendered its nuclear weapons, the third 
     largest stockpile in the world at the time, in exchange for 
     nonbinding security guarantees from the United States, the 
     United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation;
       Whereas, on April 3, 2008, heads of state and government of 
     the member countries of NATO signed the Bucharest Summit 
     Declaration, which stated, ``NATO welcomes Ukraine's and 
     Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. 
     We agreed today that these countries will become members of 
     NATO. Both nations have made valuable contributions to 
     Alliance operations'';
       Whereas, on February 20, 2014, the Russian Federation and 
     its proxies launched an unprovoked invasion of Crimea and 
     annexed the peninsula, and has illegally occupied the 
     peninsula since;
       Whereas, on April 6, 2014, the Russian Federation and its 
     proxies launched an operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk 
     provinces of Ukraine and have illegally occupied portions of 
     the Donbas region since;
       Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation 
     launched a full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a 
     sovereign nation that borders Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and 
     Romania, all of whom are members of NATO;
       Whereas, on September 30, 2022, Ukraine formally applied to 
     join NATO, and President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, ``We are 
     taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for 
     accelerated accession to NATO.'';
       Whereas, on June 17, 2023, President Vladimir Putin 
     confirmed that the Russian Federation had begun to deploy 
     tactical nuclear weapons within the Republic of Belarus, 
     further increasing the threat posed by the Russian Federation 
     to Ukraine, surrounding NATO countries, allies, partners, and 
     United States troops stationed in the region;
       Whereas, on July 7, 2023, NATO Secretary-General Jens 
     Stoltenberg stated that, at the NATO Summit 2023, NATO 
     leaders ``will agree a multi-year program of assistance to 
     ensure full interoperability between the Ukrainian armed 
     forces and NATO'' and ``will reaffirm that Ukraine will 
     become a member of NATO and unite on how to bring Ukraine 
     closer to its goal'';
       Whereas, on August 24, Ukraine celebrates their 
     independence day and commemorates the date on which they left 
     the Soviet Union to become a sovereign and democratic state;
       Whereas NATO members ``are determined to safeguard the 
     freedom, common heritage and civilisation of their peoples'', 
     which Ukraine has done since the first day of the Russian 
     Federation's unprovoked full-scale invasion more than 500 
     days ago; and
       Whereas, with support from NATO members and partner nations 
     around the world, Ukraine continues to counter the Russian 
     Federation's aggression: Now, therefore be it
       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       The Senate--
       (1) stands with the people of Ukraine and supports the 
     accession of Ukraine into NATO as soon as possible;
       (2) urges the President to engage with NATO leaders to 
     develop a clear, comprehensive pathway for Ukraine's 
     accession into NATO;
       (3) views the accession of Ukraine into NATO as critical to 
     preventing future wars, promoting peace, and ensuring the 
     future security of Europe and the world; and
       (4) supports the Government and people of Ukraine in this 
     unprovoked war that has stretched over 500 days, as they 
     continue to defend their sovereignty and fight to remain an 
     independent, free, and democratic nation.

     SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this resolution may be construed as authorizing 
     the use of military force or the introduction of United 
     States forces into hostilities.

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