IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 116 

Calling for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation operation in the 

Black Sea and urging the cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 8, 2019 

Mr. CONAWAY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Oversight and Reform, the Judiciary, and Ways and 

Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation 

operation in the Black Sea and urging the cancellation 

of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. 

Whereas, in late February 2014, the Russian Federation invaded and illegally occupied Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, in full contravention of the United Nations Charter 

and the Helsinki Final Act, which condemn the threat or 

use of force as means of altering international borders; 

Whereas the Russian Federation’s attempted illegal annexation of Crimea is also a direct violation of its pledges 

as a signatory to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on 

Security Assurances to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and 


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•HRES 116 IH 

existing borders and to refrain from the threat or use of 

force against Ukraine; 

Whereas the inclusion of the United States and the United 

Kingdom as signatories to the Budapest Memorandum 

was essential in order to provide Ukraine the security assurances needed to give up its nuclear arsenal; 

Whereas, on November 25, 2018, military forces of the Russian Federation attacked and seized three Ukrainian 

Navy vessels and their crews as they attempted to transit 

the Kerch Strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of 

Azov; 

Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation still has 

not released the Ukrainian crew members or returned the 

Ukrainian ships that were seized illegally; 

Whereas European Commissioner Julian King stated that the 

Government of the Russian Federation launched a 

disinformation campaign over a year ago designed to 

paint Ukraine and NATO as provocateurs in the Kerch 

Strait; 

Whereas, as part of the Russian Federation disinformation 

campaign, Russian state media outlets spread demonstrable falsehoods, including claims that Ukraine was 

dredging the Kerch Strait seabed to facilitate the stationing of a NATO fleet, that Ukraine had intentionally 

infected the sea with cholera, and that Ukrainian and 

British clandestine services were conspiring to destroy 

the Kerch Strait bridge with a nuclear weapon; 

Whereas the United States has important national interests 

in the Black Sea region, including the security of three 

NATO littoral states, the promotion of European energy 

market diversification by ensuring unfettered European 


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•HRES 116 IH 

access to energy exporters in the Caucuses and central 

Asia, and combating use of the region by smugglers as 

a conduit for trafficking in persons, narcotics, and arms; 

Whereas the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a proposed underwater natural gas pipeline project that would provide an 

additional 55,000,000,000 cubic meters of pipeline capacity from the Russian Federation to the Federal Republic 

of Germany through the Baltic Sea; 

Whereas the Russian Federation’s state-owned oil and gas 

company, Gazprom, is the sole shareholder of the Nord 

Stream 2 project; 

Whereas, in 2017, there was spare capacity of approximately 

55,000,000,000 cubic meters in the Ukrainian gas transit 

system; 

Whereas Gazprom cut off natural gas exports to Europe via 

Ukraine in 2006, and again in 2009, over supply and 

pricing disputes with Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas 

company, Naftogaz; 

Whereas transit of Russian natural gas to Europe via 

Ukraine declined precipitously after the completion of 

Nord Stream 1 in 2011, falling from 80 percent to between 40 and 50 percent of Russia’s total exports to Europe; 

Whereas, in 2017, Russian gas accounted for 37 percent of 

Europe’s natural gas imports, an increase of 5 percent 

over 2016; 

Whereas, on December 12, 2018, the European Parliament 

overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning both the 

Russian Federation’s aggression in the Kerch Strait and 

the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline; and 


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•HRES 116 IH 

Whereas, on December 11, 2018, the United States House of 

Representatives passed a resolution calling upon the European Union to reject the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and 

urging the President to use all available means to promote energy policies in Europe that reduce European reliance on Russian energy exports: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) calls upon the President to work with 

3 United States allies to promptly lead a robust multi4 national freedom of navigation operation in the 

5 Black Sea to help demonstrate support for inter6 nationally recognized borders, bilateral agreements, 

7 and safe passage through the Kerch Strait and Sea 

8 of Azov and to push back against excessive Russian 

9 Federation claims of sovereignty; 

10 (2) calls upon the North Atlantic Treaty Orga11 nization to enhance allied maritime presence and ca12 pabilities, including maritime domain awareness and 

13 coastal defense in the Black Sea in order to support 

14 Freedom of Navigation Operations and allied inter15 ests; 

16 (3) urges the President to use the authority 

17 provided under section 1234 of the National Defense 

18 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 

19 115–91; 131 Stat. 1659) to enhance the capability 

20 of the Ukrainian military; 


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•HRES 116 IH 

1 (4) urges the President, through the Depart2 ments of State and Defense, to provide additional 

3 security assistance to Ukraine, especially to 

4 strengthen Ukraine’s maritime capabilities, in order 

5 to improve deterrence and defense against further 

6 Russian aggression; 

7 (5) reiterates that the President is required by 

8 statute to impose mandatory sanctions on the Rus9 sian Federation under the Countering America’s Ad10 versaries Through Sanctions Act (Public Law 115– 

11 44); 

12 (6) stresses that sanctions against the Russian 

13 Federation are a direct result of the actions of the 

14 Government of the Russian Federation and will con15 tinue and increase until there is an appropriate 

16 change in Russian behavior; 

17 (7) calls upon United States allies and partners 

18 in Europe to deny Russian Navy vessels access to 

19 their ports to resupply and refuel; 

20 (8) notes the resolution passed by the House of 

21 Representatives on December 11, 2018, calling on 

22 European governments to cancel the Nord Stream 2 

23 pipeline and urging the President to support Euro24 pean energy security through a policy of reducing re25 liance on the Russian Federation; 


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•HRES 116 IH 

1 (9) applauds and concurs with the European 

2 Parliament’s December 12, 2018, resolution con3 demning Russian aggression in the Kerch Strait and 

4 the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, calling for the pipeline’s 

5 cancellation due to its threat to European energy se6 curity, and calling on the Russian Federation to 

7 guarantee freedom of navigation in the Kerch Strait; 

8 and 

9 (10) urges the President to continue working 

10 with Congress and our allies to ensure the appro11 priate policies to deter the Russian Federation from 

12 further aggression. 

Æ 


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