•HRES 1142 IH 
Whereas, on August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi 
Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which con-
tained a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into 
spheres of influence, with the Baltic States ultimately 
being assigned to the Soviet Union, leading soon after to 
the forcible incorporation of the Baltic States into the 
Soviet Union; 
Whereas following World War II, the Soviet Union forcibly 
occupied the Baltic States, imposing its model of Soviet 
totalitarianism for more than 5 decades; 
Whereas the United States never recognized the illegal occu-
pation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania by the Soviet 
Union, instead maintaining 100 years of continuous dip-
lomatic relations with the Baltic States; 
Whereas, in August 1989, approximately 2,000,000 people 
joined hands in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to form 
a 373-mile human chain across the 3 States known as 
the Baltic Chain of Freedom; 
Whereas, in February 1990, the people of Lithuania partici-
pated in the first free election to select a new parliament, 
which promptly voted to restore independence, making 
Lithuania the first occupied Soviet republic to declare 
independence on March 11, 1990, a move subsequently 
followed by Latvia on May 4, 1990, and Estonia on Au-
gust 20, 1991; 
Whereas, in January 1991, Soviet military forces tried to 
quash the growing independence restoration movement, 
leading to approximately 14 Lithuanian deaths, 6 Lat-
vian deaths, and many injuries; 
Whereas, in February and March 1991, the people of Lith-
uania, Estonia, and Latvia voted overwhelmingly in sup-
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•HRES 1142 IH 
port of their respective independence restoration referen-
dums, which the United States recognized later that year; 
Whereas the Baltic States helped pave the path for democ-
racy and freedom across Eastern Europe, leading to the 
fall of the Soviet Union; 
Whereas after the restoration of independence, the economies 
of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania emerged as modern 
market economies leading in technology and financial 
services sectors; 
Whereas Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continue to dem-
onstrate their commitment to advancing democratic val-
ues, peace, and security through their membership and 
active participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organi-
zation 
(NATO), 
the 
European 
Union, 
and 
the 
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop-
ment; 
Whereas the Baltic States have been loyal NATO allies, con-
tributing to regional and global security through oper-
ations in Afghanistan and leadership in the NATO Coop-
erative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia, 
the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excel-
lence in Latvia, and the NATO Energy Security Centre 
of Excellence in Lithuania; 
Whereas the Baltic States contribute to the security of the 
Euro-Atlantic area by spending at least 2 percent of 
gross domestic product for defense and to global security 
through determined participation in international allied 
operations and missions; 
Whereas Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were among the first 
countries to participate in the National Guard State 
Partnership Program with the Maryland, Michigan, and 
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•HRES 1142 IH 
Pennsylvania National Guards, respectively, and, since 
1993, have provided additional opportunities to enhance 
military readiness and interoperability between the 
United States and Baltic forces; 
Whereas, in 2019, the United States and the Baltic States 
signed the Security Cooperation Roadmaps, outlining 
joint security cooperation priorities from 2019 to 2024; 
Whereas the Baltic States are actively involved in security as-
sistance, promotion of democracy, and protection of 
human rights across Eastern Europe, including in 
Ukraine and Belarus, in the face of aggression and an 
increase of troops in Belarus by the Russian Federation 
and the manipulation of the migrant crisis in Europe by 
the Lukashenko regime; 
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has pur-
sued an aggressive campaign of intimidation against the 
Baltic States including the repeated violation of the sov-
ereign airspace with military aircraft, and the harassment 
of government officials, private citizens, and military per-
sonnel 
stationed 
in 
Europe 
and 
abroad 
through 
disinformation, propaganda, and other cyberattacks; 
Whereas since the restoration of independence, Estonia, Lat-
via, and Lithuania have faced persistent aggression, in-
timidation, and cyberattacks from the Russian Federa-
tion and, as a result, have worked to shape total defense 
strategies to counter intervention by the Russian Federa-
tion; 
Whereas after building trade ties with Taiwan, the Govern-
ment of Lithuania has faced severe economic and diplo-
matic coercion from the People’s Republic of China in-
cluding a discriminatory and illegal customs blockade on 
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products from Lithuania and imports containing Lithua-
nian parts, prompting the European Union to formally 
refer the matter to the World Trade Organization as a 
violation of international trade rules; 
Whereas, on January 24, 2022, the Secretary of Defense put 
8,500 members of the United States Armed Forces on 
high alert for potential deployment to Eastern Europe as 
part of a NATO response force in reaction to Russia’s 
destabilizing military force deployments in Belarus, along 
Russia’s border with Ukraine, and in the Black Sea; 
Whereas, on February 22, 2022, in response to the illegal in-
vasion of Ukraine by Russian air, land, and naval forces, 
the President of the United States ordered the rapid de-
ployment of an infantry battalion task force, F–35 fight-
er aircraft, and AH–64 attack helicopters to uphold 
NATO security commitments to the Baltic States; 
Whereas support for the Baltic States by the United States 
remains a crucial factor for countering military, eco-
nomic, and diplomatic coercion by the Governments of 
the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, and the 
People’s Republic of China, and complements the efforts 
of NATO to strengthen its deterrence and defense pos-
ture, including enhanced forward presence in the eastern 
part of the NATO alliance; 
Whereas the Baltic States have been models of democratic 
governance with strong institutions and respect for civil 
liberties and the rule of law, which are cherished shared 
values between the Baltic States and the United States; 
and 
Whereas since the restoration of independence, the demo-
cratic and economic development and progress of the Bal-
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•HRES 1142 IH 
tic States has established Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania 
as 3 shining beacons of freedom: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes 100 years of continuous diplo-
matic relations between the United States and Esto-
nia, Latvia, and Lithuania; 
(2) looks forward to strengthening diplomatic 
relations between the Baltic States and the United 
States; 
(3) recognizes the courage and resilience of the 
people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in their 
fight for freedom and democracy in the face of per-
sistent coercion, intimidation, and aggressive behav-
ior by the Russian Federation; 
(4) stands in solidarity with the Baltic States 
against all forms of economic, diplomatic, or military 
coercion by the Russian Federation, the Republic of 
Belarus, the People’s Republic of China, and other 
authoritarian governments; 
(5) commits to providing continued support for 
the Baltic States through economic and security co-
operation, including through the Baltic Security Ini-
tiative, and further strengthening transatlantic ties 
and regional security through the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization; and 
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