[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3614-S3615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6496. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place in title XII, insert the
following:
SEC. 10___. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH BELARUS.
(a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United
States to not undertake any relaxation of sanctions imposed
with respect to Belarus, nor pursue any significant
normalization of diplomatic, economic, or other bilateral
relations with the Government of Belarus, until the Secretary
of State certifies to the appropriate congressional
committees that, during the preceding 180 days, the
Government of Belarus has ceased providing support for,
facilitating, accommodating, or otherwise enabling the
Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.
(b) Strategic Dialogue With the Belarusian Democracy
Movement.--
(1) Strategic dialogue.--The Secretary of State shall host
a strategic dialogue with the Belarusian democratic movement
not less frequently than annually.
(2) Central objective.--The annual strategic dialogue with
the Belarusian democratic movement shall seek--
(A) to consider the efforts needed to return to democratic
rule in Belarus, including the efforts needed to support free
and fair elections in Belarus;
(B) to support the day-to-day functions of the Belarusian
democratic movement, which represents the legitimate
aspirations of the Belarusian people;
(C) to ensure that Belarusians living outside the territory
of Belarus have adequate access to essential government
services;
(D) to respond to the political, economic, and security
impacts of events in Belarus and Russia on neighboring
countries and the wider region;
(E) to ensure accountability, including through sanctions,
for the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko for its human rights
abuses and support for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine;
(F) to facilitate the release of political prisoners and
other wrongfully detained individuals in Belarus, including
journalists; and
[[Page S3615]]
(G) to support Belarusian language and cultural programs,
including--
(i) by supporting Belarusian language independent media
programs and Belarusian civil society; and
(ii) through efforts to restore democracy and the regular
function of democratic institutions in Belarus.
(c) Assessing Potential Diplomatic Facilities in Belarus.--
(1) Report.--Not later than 180 days before reopening a
United States Embassy in Minsk, Republic of Belarus, the
Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives that includes--
(A) an assessment of the number of political prisoners
remaining in Belarusian jails;
(B) a description of how opening a United States diplomatic
facility in Minsk will advance efforts to support political
prisoners and the Belarusian democratic movement;
(C) a description of the Republic of Belarus' facilitation
of sanctions evasion by the Russian Federation, including the
status of United States enforcement efforts;
(D) a description of the scope of the Russian Federation's
military presence in the Republic of Belarus and Belarusian
authorities' facilitation of Russian military actions against
Ukraine; and
(E) a description of United States plans to open an embassy
in Belarus and ensure the safety of United States diplomatic
personnel.
(2) Form.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in an unclassified form, but may include a
classified annex.
(3) Restriction.--The United States Government may not
reopen diplomatic facilities in the Republic of Belarus until
after the Secretary of State has--
(A) provided assurances to the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the House of Representatives of the durability of the
United States - Belarus Democratic Movement Strategic
Dialogue referred to in subsection (a);
(B) convened the Dialogue at least once during the
preceding 6-month period; and
(C) provided written plans to the committees referred to in
subparagraph (A) for future convenings of the Dialogue.
(d) Report on Belarus Facilitation of Russia's War in
Ukraine.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and
the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a classified report assessing--
(1) the nature and extent of political, military,
intelligence, logistical, economic, and other support
provided by the Government of Belarus to the Russian
Federation that has facilitated Russia's war against Ukraine;
(2) the extent to which Belarusian territory, airspace,
military facilities, transportation networks, communications
infrastructure, and other sovereign assets have been used by
the Russian Federation to launch, facilitate, sustain, and
support military operations against Ukraine, including
missile, drone, air, cyber, and other attacks; and
(3) Belarusian support for, participation in, or
facilitation of, Russian information operations, influence
campaigns, disinformation efforts, cyber-enabled activities,
and other actions intended to undermine Ukraine, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United States, or United
States partner governments.
(e) Belarus' Role in the Russian Federation's Abduction of
Ukrainian Children.--
(1) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a
report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives that includes--
(A) a description of Belarus' historic and ongoing role in
facilitating--
(i) the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian
Federation; and
(ii) the return of Ukrainian children who have been
abducted by the Russian Federation;
(B) an assessment of how many abducted Ukrainian children--
(i) remain in the Russian Federation or in Ukrainian
territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation; or
(ii) remain present on the territory of Belarus; and
(C) a description of the extent to which Belarusian
authorities are cooperating with efforts to facilitate the
return of the children referred to in subparagraph (B)(ii) to
Ukraine.
(2) Form.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in an unclassified form, but may include a
classified annex.
______