Title: Affirming United States support to the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova in their effort to retain political sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution (1) expresses support for the democratically elected governments of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova and their integration into the European Union; (2) calls on Russia to cease its malicious activities against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova; and (3) encourages increased cooperation between these countries and the United States to counter Russian hostility in the region.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 510 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 510

 Affirming United States support to the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, 
    and Moldova in their effort to retain political sovereignty and 
                         territorial integrity.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2019

 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself and Mr. Keating) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 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


 
 Affirming United States support to the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, 
    and Moldova in their effort to retain political sovereignty and 
                         territorial integrity.

Whereas the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova are sovereign, voting 
        member nations of the United Nations;
Whereas the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova all signed Association 
        Agreements with the European Union in 2014;
Whereas the European Parliament passed Resolution 2014/2717 recognizing 
        Ukraine's, Georgia's, and Moldova's European alignment and ability to 
        become members of the European Union;
Whereas the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova joined the North Atlantic 
        Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace Program in 1994;
Whereas the modern country of Ukraine was founded in 1991 and recognized by the 
        United States the same year;
Whereas Ukraine held free and fair parliamentary elections in 2014 and will hold 
        new parliamentary elections on July 21, 2019;
Whereas March 1, 2019, marked 5 years since the Government of the Russian 
        Federation authorized the use of military forces in Ukraine leading to a 
        forcible and illegal annexation of Crimea;
Whereas Russia has actively engaged in and supported illegal activity since 
        April 2014, including through the deployment of Russian armed forces and 
        equipment, that has resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000 people 
        and the internal displacement of 2,000,000 people according to the 
        United Nations;
Whereas the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances signed by Russia in 
        December 1994 provided security assurances against the threats or use of 
        force against the territorial integrity or political sovereignty of 
        Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine's voluntary and peaceful willingness to 
        relinquish its nuclear weapons;
Whereas Russia, despite its commitments to the Minsk agreements, continues to 
        destabilize Ukraine through a variety of military and political 
        maneuvers;
Whereas continued Russian aggression against Ukraine in contravention of the 
        Budapest Memorandum threatens current and future efforts to combat the 
        proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction;
Whereas, since 2014, Russia has annexed and occupied the Ukrainian territory of 
        Crimea in contravention of international law;
Whereas Russia is holding nearly 100 Ukrainian political prisoners in Russian 
        territory and the territory it currently occupies in Crimea in 
        contravention of international law;
Whereas the Russian Federal Security Service coast guard illegally fired upon 
        and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels, including 24 Ukrainian crew 
        members, that were exercising Ukraine's right to navigation through the 
        Kerch Strait on the way to the port of Mariupol;
Whereas the modern country of Georgia was founded in 1991 and recognized by the 
        United States in 1992;
Whereas Georgia held competitive, well-administered, and free parliamentary 
        elections in 2016 and is expected to hold new parliamentary elections by 
        2020;
Whereas the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, one-fifth of 
        Georgia's sovereign territory, remain under Russian occupation since the 
        aftermath of Russia's August 2008 war with Georgia;
Whereas the modern Republic of Moldova was founded in 1991 and recognized by the 
        United States the same year;
Whereas Moldova held competitive and generally well-administered parliamentary 
        elections in 2014 and held new parliamentary elections on February 24, 
        2019;
Whereas military forces and equipment from Russia have remained in the 
        separatist region of Transnistria since Moldova declared independence in 
        1991;
Whereas the European Court of Human Rights, the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization, and the Government of Moldova have called upon Russia to 
        remove its troops from Moldovan territory; and
Whereas it is the longstanding policy of the United States not to recognize 
        territorial changes that are the result of illegal uses of force: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
        support the democratically elected Governments of Ukraine, 
        Georgia, and Moldova and their people;
            (2) reaffirms the support of the United States for the 
        integration of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova into the European 
        Union;
            (3) condemns Russia's continued contravention of its 
        commitments under the Budapest Memorandum and the pursuant harm 
        Russia continues to cause to the people of Ukraine, Georgia, 
        and Moldova;
            (4) calls for all personnel and equipment belonging to 
        Russian security or armed forces to immediately withdraw from 
        the sovereign territory of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova;
            (5) calls on Russia to allow for and safeguard the 
        unrestricted freedom of movement of the Organization for 
        Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission 
        in eastern Ukraine;
            (6) calls on Russia to immediately return all 24 Ukrainian 
        crew members and the three vessels captured during the Kerch 
        attack;
            (7) calls for Russia to immediately cease its military 
        support to illegal paramilitary units operating within the 
        internationally recognized territories of Ukraine, Georgia, and 
        Moldova;
            (8) calls for Russia to cease its destabilizing activities 
        in Transnistria in Moldova, South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 
        Georgia, and the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, as 
        well as to terminate its forcible and illegal annexation of 
        Crimea;
            (9) calls on the United States Government, United States 
        allies in Europe, the United Nations, and international 
        partners to continue to pressure Russia to uphold its 
        international obligations;
            (10) commends the ongoing cooperation among the Governments 
        of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova to confront ongoing Russian 
        violations of their territorial integrity and combat efforts to 
        destabilize or otherwise exert a malign influence over 
        political activity in their countries;
            (11) supports enhanced cooperation among the United States 
        and the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova to assist in 
        strengthening their capacity to resist the destabilizing 
        activities of Russia, including in areas of defense and 
        security;
            (12) continues to oppose Russian threats to the energy 
        security of United States allies in Europe and encourages the 
        Government of the United States to further support the 
        diversification of energy supplies to Europe;
            (13) supports increased economic cooperation and bilateral 
        trade between the United States and the countries of Ukraine, 
        Georgia, and Moldova; and
            (14) calls on the Secretary of State to engage in a 
        dialogue with the countries of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova on 
        best practices to combat Russian meddling in the sovereign 
        nations' democratic processes.
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