•HRES 256 EH 
Whereas on November 16, 2016, former President Barack 
Obama stated, ‘‘NATO, the world’s greatest alliance, is 
as strong and as ready as it’s ever been and I am con-
fident that just as America’s commitment to the trans-
atlantic alliance has endured for seven decades—whether 
it’s been under a Democratic or Republican administra-
tion—that commitment will continue, including our 
pledge and our treaty obligation to defend every ally.’’; 
Whereas on July 6, 2017, President Donald J. Trump reiter-
ated the United States’ support of NATO by saying, ‘‘To 
those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point 
out that the United States has demonstrated not merely 
with words but with its actions that we stand firmly be-
hind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment.’’; 
Whereas NATO allies and partners in Central and Eastern 
Europe, including countries of the Western Balkans, and 
the former Soviet Union have stood alongside the United 
States in joint peace operations in the Western Balkans, 
Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere around the globe; 
Whereas NATO established the Euro-Atlantic Partnership 
Council to promote, among other priorities, counter-ter-
rorism, non-proliferation, and crisis management co-
operation as well as advancing values, including respect 
of international law and peaceful resolution of disputes; 
Whereas Russia’s aggressive actions against members of the 
NATO Alliance and nearby NATO partner countries, in-
cluding its many violations of Baltic airspace, occupation 
of Georgian territory in 2008, illegal occupation of Cri-
mea since 2014, and continued threats to Moldovan terri-
torial integrity and sovereignty, not only violate its com-
mitments under the Helsinki Final Act and subsequent 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
•HRES 256 EH 
(OSCE) agreements but also foment instability in Eu-
rope; 
Whereas NATO allies increased their assistance to NATO 
partner countries by endorsing the Substantial NATO– 
Georgia Package in support of Georgia at the Wales 
Summit, the Comprehensive Assistance Package in sup-
port of Ukraine at the Warsaw Summit, and developed 
a phased Defense and Related Security Capacity Building 
package in support of Moldova; 
Whereas the European Deterrence Initiative represents the 
United States commitment to enduring peace, stability, 
and territorial integrity in Europe as members and part-
ners of the NATO Alliance; 
Whereas from September 14 through September 20, 2017, 
Russia held a large-scale military exercise in Belarus 
known as Zapad 2017; 
Whereas the last Zapad exercise was in 2013 which laid the 
foundations for Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea; 
Whereas NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ex-
pressed concerns about Russia’s lack of transparency re-
garding military exercises; 
Whereas Secretary-General Stoltenberg also stated, ‘‘Russia 
is our neighbor * * *. We don’t want to isolate Russia; 
we don’t want a new Cold War.’’; 
Whereas the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces 
of Russia, Valery Gerasimov, wrote in 2013 that ‘‘infor-
mational conflict’’ is a key part of war; 
Whereas Baltic and NATO officials believe that Russia was 
likely responsible for interruptions in Latvia’s mobile 
communications network before the Zapad exercise;
•HRES 256 EH 
Whereas three Baltic Russian-language news sites known col-
lectively as Baltnews are secretly owned by Rossiya 
Segodnya, a news agency owned and operated by the 
Russian Government; 
Whereas on June 28, 2017, Vesko Garcevic, Montenegro’s 
ambassador to NATO from 2010 through 2014, testified 
before the Senate Intelligence Committee that Russia has 
provided support to extremist groups and even used the 
country’s religious institutions to oppose closer ties to the 
Western world; 
Whereas on April 4, 2018, Russia began a live-fire military 
exercise in the Baltic Sea, just outside of the territorial 
waters of NATO member countries, in a move a top Lat-
vian defense official called a ‘‘show of force’’ just a day 
after Baltic leaders met with President Trump; 
Whereas at the Wales Summit in 2014, all 28 members of 
the NATO alliance declared their intention to move to-
wards a minimum security investment of 2 percent of 
their gross domestic product on defense within a decade; 
Whereas on June 8, 2018, NATO Secretary-General 
Stoltenberg spoke of increases in defense investments by 
European allies, that ‘‘Allies are making real progress on 
all aspects of burden sharing, cash, capabilities and con-
tributions * * *. But of course, we still have more work 
to do. Burden sharing will be a key theme of our Summit 
next month. And I expect all Allies to continue their ef-
forts.’’; and 
Whereas the commitment to collective defense in Article 5 of 
the North Atlantic Treaty remains at the heart of the Al-
liance: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
•HRES 256 EH 
(1) affirms the United States enduring commitment 
to and friendship with its NATO allies; 
(2) pledges that the United States will continue to 
maintain strong leadership and strengthen its commit-
ments to NATO; 
(3) condemns any threat to the sovereignty, terri-
torial integrity, freedom and democracy of NATO allies; 
(4) condemns the clear, gross, and uncorrected on-
going violation of the Helsinki principles by Russia with 
respect to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of 
Ukraine; 
(5) supports keeping United States sanctions im-
posed against Russia relating to Crimea in effect until 
Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea has been restored, as 
well as sanctions relating to the Donbas until the Minsk 
agreements are fully implemented; 
(6) considers it essential for the United States to 
maintain and increase political, economic, and security 
support for the countries of Central and Eastern Eu-
rope; 
(7) appreciates the spirit of friendship of the coun-
tries of Central and Eastern Europe, including those of 
the Western Balkans, their commitment to collective se-
curity, and their contributions, past and present, to 
peace operations around the globe;
•HRES 256 EH 
(8) calls for the United States to continue to sup-
port the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to se-
cure their electoral processes from foreign threats; 
(9) supports and encourages the democratic aspira-
tions of the people of all countries concerned, including 
Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova; 
(10) encourages the countries of Europe to continue 
to invest in the individual, regional, and collective de-
fense; 
(11) calls on all NATO allies whose current propor-
tion of gross domestic product spent on defense is below 
the 2 percent guideline to meet that guideline; 
(12) honors the men and women who served under 
NATO and gave their lives to promote peace, security, 
and international cooperation since 1949; and 
(13) calls for continued support to the United 
States’ European Deterrence Initiative. 
Attest: 
Clerk.