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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 109 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 109

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the March 31, 2019, presidential 
                          election in Ukraine.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 14, 2019

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Expressing the sense of the Senate on the March 31, 2019, presidential 
                          election in Ukraine.

Whereas the Senate agrees with Senate Resolution 78, 115th Congress, introduced 
        by Senators Menendez and Graham, which expressed the sense of the Senate 
        recognizing 3 years of Russian military aggression in Ukraine;
Whereas the Senate concurs with Senate Resolution 27, 116th Congress, introduced 
        by Senators Johnson and Durbin, which calls for a prompt multinational 
        freedom of navigation operation in the Black Sea and urges the 
        cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline;
Whereas the Senate endorses H.R. 596, 116th Congress, introduced by 
        Representatives Connolly and Chabot, which affirms that it is the policy 
        of the United States not to recognize the de jure or de facto 
        sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its 
        territorial waters;
Whereas the Senate reaffirms the importance of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act 
        of 2014 (Public Law 113-272; 128 Stat. 2952), which authorized increased 
        security and economic assistance for Ukraine;
Whereas the Senate welcomes resolutions of Congress, such as House Resolution 
        202, 115th Congress, sponsored by Representative Delaney, which 
        reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic 
        Treaty Organization;
Whereas the Senate notes the upcoming March 31, 2019, presidential election in 
        Ukraine and the importance of a free and fair election to sustaining the 
        principles and dreams of the 2014 Maidan Revolution;
Whereas the Senate expresses concern that the Government of the Russian 
        Federation will continue to interfere in the election process and voting 
        in the March 31, 2019, presidential election in Ukraine; and
Whereas the Senate agrees with former United States Ambassador to the Russian 
        Federation Michael McFaul that ``Russian President Vladimir Putin is 
        waging a global ideological war against Western liberal, democratic 
        values. It has been underway for many years, and it extends from his own 
        immediate neighborhood to Western Europe and, of course, the United 
        States, where he intervened in the U.S. presidential election in 2016. 
        The front line of this ideological war between Putinism and democracy, 
        however, remains Ukraine.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the United States Government does not prefer any 
        particular candidate in the March 31, 2019, presidential 
        election in Ukraine and seeks only a transparent and democratic 
        election that reflects the will of the people of Ukraine;
            (2) the United States Government will continue to support 
        democracy and good governance in Ukraine, including anti-
        corruption initiatives, an independent media, and efforts to 
        strengthen the rule of law, to support the ideals of the 
        revolution of dignity of Ukraine;
            (3) the United States should continue to work with allies 
        to provide additional capacity building and technical support 
        in order to deter Russian efforts to disrupt voting or 
        undermine the legitimacy of the results of the presidential 
        election in Ukraine; and
            (4) not later than 90 days after the date on which this 
        resolution is agreed to, the President should provide a 
        briefing to Congress--
                    (A) assessing the scope and scale of Russian 
                interference in the presidential campaign in Ukraine 
                and vote tabulation on election day; and
                    (B) assessing the future course of United States-
                Ukrainian relations under whichever candidate is 
                declared the winner of the presidential election.
                                 <all>
```