Supports the efforts by President Poroshenko and the people of Ukraine to establish a lasting peace for Ukraine that includes:
Affirms the right of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and all countries to exercise their sovereign rights within their internationally recognized borders.
Condemns the continuing political, economic, and military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova and the continuing violation of their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
States that the military intervention by the Russian Federation in Ukraine:
Calls on the Russian Federation to:
Calls on the President to provide the government of Ukraine with necessary defense articles, services, and intelligence in order to defend its territory and sovereignty.
Calls on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and U.S. partners to suspend military cooperation with Russia.
Calls on the President to cooperate with U.S. allies to:
Urges the President, in consultation with Congress, to review the Treaty readiness of U.S. and NATO armed forces.
Urges the President to hold the Russian Federation accountable for violations of its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Welcomes France's decision to suspend the delivery of the Mistral-class warships to the Russian Federation.
Believes that the emplacement by the Russian Federation of its nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory would be provocative and destabilizing.
Calls on Ukraine and other countries to support energy diversification initiatives to reduce the Russian Federation's ability to use energy supplies as a means of applying political and economic pressure on other countries.
Calls on the President and the Department of State to develop a strategy to produce or otherwise procure and distribute news and information in the Russian language to countries with significant Russian-speaking populations.
Calls upon the Russian Federation to seek a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States based on respect for the independence and sovereignty of all countries.
Calls for the reestablishment of a cooperative relationship between the people of the United States and the Russian people based on the shared pursuit of democracy, human rights, and peace.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 758 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 758
Strongly condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, under
President Vladimir Putin, which has carried out a policy of aggression
against neighboring countries aimed at political and economic
domination.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 18, 2014
Mr. Kinzinger of Illinois submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Strongly condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, under
President Vladimir Putin, which has carried out a policy of aggression
against neighboring countries aimed at political and economic
domination.
Whereas upon entering office in 2009, President Barack Obama announced his
intention to ``reset'' relations with the Russian Federation, which was
described by former United States Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul as
a policy to ``engage with Russia to seek agreement on common
interests'', which included the negotiation of the Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (New START) in which the United States agreed to major
reductions in its nuclear forces;
Whereas the Russian Federation has responded to this policy with openly anti-
American rhetoric and actions and with armed aggression against United
States allies and partner countries, including Ukraine and the Republic
of Georgia;
Whereas the Russian Federation has subjected Ukraine to a campaign of political,
economic, and military aggression for the purpose of establishing its
domination over the country and progressively erasing its independence;
Whereas the Russian Federation's invasion of, and military operations on,
Ukrainian territory represent gross violations of Ukraine's sovereignty,
independence, and territorial integrity and a violation of international
law, including the Russian Federation's obligations under the United
Nations Charter;
Whereas the Russian Federation's forcible occupation and illegal annexation of
Crimea and its continuing support for separatist and paramilitary forces
in eastern Ukraine are violations of its obligations under the 1994
Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, in which it pledged to
respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of
Ukraine and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the
territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine;
Whereas the Russian Federation has provided military equipment, training, and
other assistance to separatist and paramilitary forces in eastern
Ukraine that has resulted in over 4,000 civilian deaths, hundreds of
thousands of civilian refugees, and widespread destruction;
Whereas the Ukrainian military remains at a significant disadvantage compared to
the armed forces of the Russian Federation in terms of size and
technological sophistication;
Whereas the United States strongly supports efforts to assist Ukraine to defend
its territory and sovereignty against military aggression by the Russian
Federation and by separatist forces;
Whereas the terms of the ceasefire specified in the Minsk Protocol that was
signed on September 5, 2014, by representatives of the Government of
Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Russian-backed separatists in
the eastern area of the Ukraine have been repeatedly violated by the
Russian Federation and the separatist forces it supports;
Whereas separatist forces in areas they controlled in eastern Ukraine prevented
the holding of elections on May 25, 2014, for a new President of Ukraine
and on October 26, 2014, for a new Rada, thereby preventing the people
of eastern Ukraine from exercising their democratic right to select
their candidates for office in free and fair elections;
Whereas, on November 2, 2014, separatist forces in eastern Ukraine held
fraudulent and illegal elections in areas they controlled for the
supposed purpose of choosing leaders of the illegitimate local political
entities they have declared;
Whereas the Russian Federation has recognized the results of the illegal
elections and continues to provide the military, political, and economic
support without which the separatist forces could not continue to
maintain their areas of control;
Whereas the reestablishment of peace and security in Ukraine requires the full
withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, the resumption of
the government's control over all of the country's international
borders, the disarming of the separatist and paramilitary forces in the
east, an end to Russia's use of its energy exports and trade barriers to
apply economic and political pressure, and an end to Russian
interference in Ukraine's internal affairs;
Whereas Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a civilian airliner, was destroyed by a
Russian-made missile provided by the Russian Federation to separatist
forces in eastern Ukraine, resulting in the loss of 298 innocent lives;
Whereas the Russian Federation has used and is continuing to use coercive
economic measures, including the manipulation of energy prices and
supplies, as well as trade restrictions, to place political and economic
pressure on Ukraine;
Whereas military forces of the Russian Federation and of the separatists it
controls have repeatedly violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement
announced on September 5, 2014;
Whereas the Russian Federation invaded the Republic of Georgia in August 2008,
continues to station military forces in the regions of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, and is implementing measures intended to progressively
integrate these regions into the Russian Federation;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to subject the Republic of Georgia to
political and military intimidation, economic coercion, and other forms
of aggression in an effort to establish its control of the country and
to prevent Georgia from establishing closer relations with the European
Union and the United States;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to station military forces in the
Transniestria region of Moldova;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to provide support to the illegal
separatist regime in the Transniestria region of Moldova;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to subject Moldova to political and
military intimidation, economic coercion, and other forms of aggression
in an effort to establish its control of the countries and to prevent
efforts by Moldova to establish closer relations with the European Union
and the United States;
Whereas under the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), a
flight-test or deployment of any INF-banned weapon delivery vehicle by
the Russian Federation constitutes a violation of the INF Treaty;
Whereas, on July 29, 2014, the United States Department of State released its
report on the Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control,
Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments, as
required by Section 403 of the Arms Control and Disarmament Act, for
calendar year 2013, which found that, ``[t]he United States has
determined that the Russian Federation is in violation of its
obligations under the INF Treaty not to possess, produce, or flight-test
a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) with a range capability of 500
km to 5,500 km, or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles'';
Whereas according to reports, the Government of the Russian Federation has
repeatedly engaged in the infiltration of, and attacks on, computer
networks of the United States Government, as well as individuals and
private entities, for the purpose of illicitly acquiring information and
disrupting operations, including by supporting Russian individuals and
entities engaged in these actions;
Whereas the political, military, and economic aggression against Ukraine and
other countries by the Russian Federation underscores the enduring
importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the
cornerstone of collective Euro-Atlantic defense;
Whereas the United States reaffirms its obligations under the North Atlantic
Treaty, especially Article 5 which states that ``an armed attack against
one or more'' of the treaty signatories ``shall be considered an attack
against them all'';
Whereas the Russian Federation is continuing to use its supply of energy as a
means of political and economic coercion against Ukraine, Georgia,
Moldova, and other European countries;
Whereas the United States strongly supports energy diversification initiatives
in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other European countries to reduce the
ability of the Russian Federation to use its supply of energy for
political and economic coercion, including the development of domestic
sources of energy, increased efficiency, and substituting Russian energy
resources with imports from other countries;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to conduct an aggressive propaganda
effort in Ukraine in which false information is used to subvert the
authority of the legitimate national government, undermine stability,
promote ethnic dissension, and incite violence;
Whereas the Russian Federation has expanded the presence of its state-sponsored
media in national languages across central and western Europe with the
intent of using news and information to distort public opinion and
obscure Russian political and economic influence in Europe;
Whereas expanded efforts by United States international broadcasting across all
media in the Russian and Ukrainian languages are needed to counter
Russian propaganda and to provide the people of Ukraine and the
surrounding regions with access to credible and balanced information;
Whereas the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL),
Incorporated continue to represent a minority market share in Ukraine
and other regional states with significant ethno-linguistic Russian
populations who increasingly obtain their local and international news
from Russian state-sponsored media outlets;
Whereas the United States International Programming to Ukraine and Neighboring
Regions Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-96) requires the Voice of America
and RFE/RL, Incorporated to provide programming content to target
populations in Ukraine and Moldova 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
including at least 8 weekly hours of total original video and television
content and 14 weekly hours of total audio content while expanding
cooperation with local media outlets and deploying greater content
through multimedia platforms and mobile devices; and
Whereas Vladimir Putin has established an increasingly authoritarian regime in
the Russian Federation through fraudulent elections, the persecution and
jailing of political opponents, the elimination of independent media,
the seizure of key sectors of the economy and enabling supporters to
enrich themselves through widespread corruption, and implementing a
strident propaganda campaign to justify Russian aggression against other
countries and repression in Russia, among other actions: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) strongly supports the efforts by President Poroshenko
and the people of Ukraine to establish a lasting peace in their
country that includes the full withdrawal of Russian forces
from its territory, full control of its international borders,
the disarming of separatist and paramilitary forces eastern
Ukraine, the adoption of policies to reduce the ability of the
Russian Federation to use energy exports and trade barriers as
weapons to apply economic and political pressure, and an end to
interference by the Russian Federation in the internal affairs
of Ukraine;
(2) affirms the right of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and all
countries to exercise their sovereign rights within their
internationally recognized borders free from outside
intervention and to conduct their foreign policy in accordance
with their determination of the best interests of their
peoples;
(3) condemns the continuing political, economic, and
military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine,
Georgia, and Moldova and the continuing violation of their
sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity;
(4) states that the military intervention by the Russian
Federation in Ukraine--
(A) is in breach of its obligations under the
United Nations Charter;
(B) is in violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum
on Security Assurances in which it pledged to respect
the independence, sovereignty, and existing borders of
Ukraine and to refrain from the threat of the use of
force against the territorial integrity or political
independence of Ukraine; and
(C) poses a threat to international peace and
security;
(5) calls on the Russian Federation to reverse its illegal
annexation of the Crimean peninsula, to end its support of the
separatist forces in Crimea, and to remove its military forces
from that region other than those operating in strict
accordance with its 1997 agreement on the Status and Conditions
of the Black Sea Fleet Stationing on the Territory of Ukraine;
(6) calls on the President to cooperate with United States
allies and partners in Europe and other countries around the
world to refuse to recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea
by the Russian Federation;
(7) calls on the Russian Federation to remove its military
forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine,
Georgia, and Moldova, and to end its political, military, and
economic support of separatist forces;
(8) calls on the Russian Federation and the separatist
forces it controls in Ukraine to end their violations of the
ceasefire announced in Minsk on September 5, 2014;
(9) calls on the President to cooperate with United States
allies and partners in Europe and other countries around the
world to impose visa bans, targeted asset freezes, sectoral
sanctions, and other measures on the Russian Federation and its
leadership with the goal of compelling it to end its violation
of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, to remove
its military forces and equipment from Ukrainian territory, and
to end its support of separatist and paramilitary forces;
(10) calls on the President to provide the Government of
Ukraine with defense articles, services, and training required
to effectively defend its territory and sovereignty;
(11) calls on the President to provide the Government of
Ukraine with appropriate intelligence and other relevant
information to assist the Government of Ukraine to defend its
territory and sovereignty;
(12) calls on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
allies and United States partners in Europe and other nations
around the world to suspend all military cooperation with
Russia, including prohibiting the sale to the Russian
Government of lethal and non-lethal military equipment;
(13) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its
obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty, especially Article
5, and calls on all Alliance member states to provide their
full share of the resources needed to ensure their collective
defense;
(14) urges the President, in consultation with Congress, to
conduct a review of the force posture, readiness, and
responsibilities of United States Armed Forces and the forces
of other members of NATO to determine if the contributions and
actions of each are sufficient to meet the obligations of
collective self-defense under Article 5 of the North Atlantic
Treaty and to specify the measures needed to remedy any
deficiencies;
(15) urges the President to hold the Russian Federation
accountable for violations of its obligations under the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and to take
action to bring the Russian Federation back into compliance
with the Treaty;
(16) urges the President to conduct a review of the utility
of the INF Treaty in securing United States interests and the
consequences for the United States of withdrawing from the
Treaty if the Russian Federation does not return to compliance
with its provisions;
(17) calls on Ukraine, the European Union, and other
countries in Europe to support energy diversification
initiatives to reduce the ability of the Russian Federation to
use its supply of energy as a means of applying political and
economic pressure on other countries, including by promoting
increased natural gas and other energy exports from the United
States and other countries;
(18) urges the President to expedite the United States
Department of Energy's approval of liquefied natural gas
exports to Ukraine and other European countries;
(19) calls on the President and the United States
Department of State to develop a strategy for multilateral
coordination to produce or otherwise procure and distribute
news and information in the Russian language to countries with
significant Russian-speaking populations which maximizes the
use of existing platforms for content delivery such as the
Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL),
Incorporated, leverages indigenous public-private partnerships
for content production, and seeks in-kind contributions from
regional state governments;
(20) calls on the United States Department of State to
identify positions at key diplomatic posts in Europe to
evaluate the political, economic, and cultural influence of
Russia and Russian state-sponsored media and to coordinate with
host governments on appropriate responses;
(21) calls upon the Russian Federation to seek a mutually
beneficial relationship with the United States that is based on
respect for the independence and sovereignty of all countries
and their right to freely determine their future, including
their relationship with other nations and international
organizations, without interference, intimidation, or coercion
by other countries; and
(22) calls for the reestablishment of a close and
cooperative relationship between the people of the United
States and the Russian people based on the shared pursuit of
democracy, human rights, and peace among all nations.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H8345-8350)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 758.
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H8385)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 411 - 10 (Roll no. 548).(text: CR 12/3/2014 H8345-8347))
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On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 411 - 10 (Roll no. 548). (text: CR 12/3/2014 H8345-8347))
Roll Call #548 (House)