IV 

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; 


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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 


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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 


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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; 


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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 groundlaunched 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, 


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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; 


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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 

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porters 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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) strongly supports the efforts by President 

3 Poroshenko and the people of Ukraine to establish 

4 a lasting peace in their country that includes the full 

5 withdrawal of Russian forces from its territory, full 

6 control of its international borders, the disarming of 

7 separatist and paramilitary forces eastern Ukraine, 

8 the adoption of policies to reduce the ability of the 

9 Russian Federation to use energy exports and trade 

10 barriers as weapons to apply economic and political 

11 pressure, and an end to interference by the Russian 

12 Federation in the internal affairs of Ukraine; 

13 (2) affirms the right of Ukraine, Georgia, 

14 Moldova, and all countries to exercise their sovereign 

15 rights within their internationally recognized borders 

16 free from outside intervention and to conduct their 

17 foreign policy in accordance with their determination 

18 of the best interests of their peoples; 

19 (3) condemns the continuing political, economic, 

20 and military aggression by the Russian Federation 

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1 tinuing violation of their sovereignty, independence, 

2 and territorial integrity; 

3 (4) states that the military intervention by the 

4 Russian Federation in Ukraine— 

5 (A) is in breach of its obligations under 

6 the United Nations Charter; 

7 (B) is in violation of the 1994 Budapest 

8 Memorandum on Security Assurances in which 

9 it pledged to respect the independence, sov10 ereignty, and existing borders of Ukraine and 

11 to refrain from the threat of the use of force 

12 against the territorial integrity or political inde13 pendence of Ukraine; and 

14 (C) poses a threat to international peace 

15 and security; 

16 (5) calls on the Russian Federation to reverse 

17 its illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, to 

18 end its support of the separatist forces in Crimea, 

19 and to remove its military forces from that region 

20 other than those operating in strict accordance with 

21 its 1997 agreement on the Status and Conditions of 

22 the Black Sea Fleet Stationing on the Territory of 

23 Ukraine; 

24 (6) calls on the President to cooperate with 

25 United States allies and partners in Europe and 


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1 other countries around the world to refuse to recog2 nize the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian 

3 Federation; 

4 (7) calls on the Russian Federation to remove 

5 its military forces and military equipment from the 

6 territory of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, and to 

7 end its political, military, and economic support of 

8 separatist forces; 

9 (8) calls on the Russian Federation and the 

10 separatist forces it controls in Ukraine to end their 

11 violations of the ceasefire announced in Minsk on 

12 September 5, 2014; 

13 (9) calls on the President to cooperate with 

14 United States allies and partners in Europe and 

15 other countries around the world to impose visa 

16 bans, targeted asset freezes, sectoral sanctions, and 

17 other measures on the Russian Federation and its 

18 leadership with the goal of compelling it to end its 

19 violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial in20 tegrity, to remove its military forces and equipment 

21 from Ukrainian territory, and to end its support of 

22 separatist and paramilitary forces; 

23 (10) calls on the President to provide the Gov24 ernment of Ukraine with defense articles, services, 


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1 and training required to effectively defend its terri2 tory and sovereignty; 

3 (11) calls on the President to provide the Gov4 ernment of Ukraine with appropriate intelligence 

5 and other relevant information to assist the Govern6 ment of Ukraine to defend its territory and sov7 ereignty; 

8 (12) calls on North Atlantic Treaty Organiza9 tion (NATO) allies and United States partners in 

10 Europe and other nations around the world to sus11 pend all military cooperation with Russia, including 

12 prohibiting the sale to the Russian Government of 

13 lethal and non-lethal military equipment; 

14 (13) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

15 States to its obligations under the North Atlantic 

16 Treaty, especially Article 5, and calls on all Alliance 

17 member states to provide their full share of the re18 sources needed to ensure their collective defense; 

19 (14) urges the President, in consultation with 

20 Congress, to conduct a review of the force posture, 

21 readiness, and responsibilities of United States 

22 Armed Forces and the forces of other members of 

23 NATO to determine if the contributions and actions 

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1 lantic Treaty and to specify the measures needed to 

2 remedy any deficiencies; 

3 (15) urges the President to hold the Russian 

4 Federation accountable for violations of its obliga5 tions under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces 

6 (INF) Treaty and to take action to bring the Rus7 sian Federation back into compliance with the Trea8 ty; 

9 (16) urges the President to conduct a review of 

10 the utility of the INF Treaty in securing United 

11 States interests and the consequences for the United 

12 States of withdrawing from the Treaty if the Rus13 sian Federation does not return to compliance with 

14 its provisions; 

15 (17) calls on Ukraine, the European Union, and 

16 other countries in Europe to support energy diver17 sification initiatives to reduce the ability of the Rus18 sian Federation to use its supply of energy as a 

19 means of applying political and economic pressure 

20 on other countries, including by promoting increased 

21 natural gas and other energy exports from the 

22 United States and other countries; 

23 (18) urges the President to expedite the United 

24 States Department of Energy’s approval of liquefied 


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1 natural gas exports to Ukraine and other European 

2 countries; 

3 (19) calls on the President and the United 

4 States Department of State to develop a strategy for 

5 multilateral coordination to produce or otherwise 

6 procure and distribute news and information in the 

7 Russian language to countries with significant Rus8 sian-speaking populations which maximizes the use 

9 of existing platforms for content delivery such as the 

10 Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Lib11 erty (RFE/RL), Incorporated, leverages indigenous 

12 public-private partnerships for content production, 

13 and seeks in-kind contributions from regional state 

14 governments; 

15 (20) calls on the United States Department of 

16 State to identify positions at key diplomatic posts in 

17 Europe to evaluate the political, economic, and cul18 tural influence of Russia and Russian state-spon19 sored media and to coordinate with host govern20 ments on appropriate responses; 

21 (21) calls upon the Russian Federation to seek 

22 a mutually beneficial relationship with the United 

23 States that is based on respect for the independence 

24 and sovereignty of all countries and their right to 

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1 tionship with other nations and international organi2 zations, without interference, intimidation, or coer3 cion by other countries; and 

4 (22) calls for the reestablishment of a close and 

5 cooperative relationship between the people of the 

6 United States and the Russian people based on the 

7 shared pursuit of democracy, human rights, and 

8 peace among all nations. 

Æ 


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