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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 758 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 758

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      December 4, 2014.
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 has, since February 2014, violated each of the 10 
        principles of the 1975 Helsinki Accords in its relations with Ukraine;
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 cease-fire 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-led separatists in the 
        eastern area of 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 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 of Ukraine'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 
        missile fired by Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, 
        resulting in the loss of 298 innocent lives;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to supply the vast majority of arms 
        purchases, which include anti-aircraft missile systems and other lethal 
        weapons, to the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, a state sponsor of 
        terrorism that is actively backed by Hezbollah, a sophisticated 
        terrorist group hostile to the United States and its close allies;
Whereas the Russian Federation has protected the Assad regime and backed its 
        brutal assault against the Syrian people;
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 France agreed to sell to the Russian Federation two Mistral-class 
        amphibious assault ships in 2011 for $1.7 billion;
Whereas Russian possession of these ships would be a destabilizing addition to 
        the Russian military, which would likely have boosted its ability to 
        invade Crimea;
Whereas given the Russian invasion of sovereign territory of the Republic of 
        Ukraine in Crimea and elsewhere and its dangerous behavior throughout 
        the region, France decided to suspend delivery of the Mistral-class 
        warships to the Russian Federation;
Whereas purchase of the two Mistral-class warships by North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (NATO) countries would expand NATO's capabilities, resolve 
        France's legitimate concern over the cost of the ships, and eliminate a 
        potential threat to countries in Eastern Europe;
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, including by 
        signing a ``treaty'' between Georgia's Abkhazia Region and the Russian 
        Federation on November 24, 2014;
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 in violation of the express will of the 
        Government of Moldova and of its Organization for Security and Co-
        operation in Europe (OSCE) commitments;
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 country and to prevent 
        efforts by Moldova to establish closer relations with the European Union 
        and the United States;
Whereas the Russian Federation acceded to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces 
        (INF) Treaty obligation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in a 
        declaration issued at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in October 1992;
Whereas under the terms of the INF Treaty, a flight-test or deployment of any 
        INF-banned weapon delivery vehicle by the Russian Federation constitutes 
        a militarily significant violation of the INF Treaty;
Whereas on April 2, 2014, the Commander, U.S. European Command, and Supreme 
        Allied Commander Europe, General Breedlove, stated that, ``A weapon 
        capability that violates the INF, that is introduced into the greater 
        European land mass is absolutely a tool that will have to be dealt with 
        * * *. I would not judge how the alliance will choose to react, but I 
        would say they will have to consider what to do about it * * *. It can't 
        go unanswered.'';
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 concerns also exist with respect to a new Russian ballistic missile, the 
        RS-26, which, according to reports, has been tested on multiple 
        occasions at intermediate ranges, and in different configurations, which 
        would be covered by the interpretative statements the United States 
        Senate relied upon when it ratified the INF Treaty in May 1988;
Whereas the Russian Federation has requested the approval of new sensors and new 
        aircraft to be flown over the United States and Europe as part of the 
        Treaty on Open Skies, and serious concerns have been raised regarding 
        impacts to United States national security if such approval is given;
Whereas on November 11, 2014, the Commander, U.S. European Command, and Supreme 
        Allied Commander Europe, General Breedlove, stated that, Russian forces 
        ``capable of being nuclear'' are being moved to the Crimea Peninsula;
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 the territory of 
        Ukraine, full control of Ukraine's international borders, the disarming 
        of separatist and paramilitary forces in 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 clear violation of each of the 10 principles of 
                the 1975 Helsinki Accords;
                    (C) 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
                    (D) poses a threat to international peace and security;
            (5) calls on the Russian Federation to reverse its illegal 
        annexation of Crimea, 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 any de jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian Federation 
        over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters;
            (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 
        supports and controls in Ukraine to end their violations of the cease-
        fire 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 lethal and non-lethal 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 in a timely 
        manner 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) welcomes the decision of France to indefinitely suspend the 
        delivery of the Mistral-class warships to the Russian Federation and 
        urges the United States, France, NATO, and other partners to engage in 
        consultations and consider all alternative acquisition options for such 
        warships which would not include transfer of the ships to the Russian 
        Federation;
            (16) urges the President to publicly 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;
            (17) urges the President to work with Asian, European, and other 
        allies to develop a comprehensive strategy to ensure the Russian 
        Federation is not able to gain any benefit by its development of 
        military systems that violate the INF Treaty;
            (18) believes the emplacement by the Russian Federation of its 
        nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory would constitute a provocative 
        and destabilizing move;
            (19) calls on Ukraine and other countries to support energy 
        diversification initiatives to reduce the ability of the Russian 
        Federation to use its energy exports as a means of applying political or 
        economic pressure, including by promoting energy efficiency and reverse 
        natural gas flows from Western Europe, and calls on the United States to 
        promote increased natural gas exports and energy efficiency;
            (20) 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;
            (21) 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;
            (22) calls on the Russian Federation to cease its support for the 
        Assad regime in Syria;
            (23) calls on the President to publicly and privately demand the 
        Russian Federation cease its destabilizing behavior at every opportunity 
        and in every engagement between the United States and its officials and 
        the Russian Federation and its officials;
            (24) 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
            (25) 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.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
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