Title: Condemning Members of the Russian Duma and Federation Council who voted to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in flagrant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, international law, and Russia's commitments under the 2015 Minsk agreement.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution condemns members of the Russian Duma and Federation Council who voted to recognize the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in flagrant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, international law, and Russia's commitments under the 2015 Minsk agreement.
The resolution commends the European Union's decision to sanction 351 Russian legislators who appealed to President Putin to recognize the independence of the DPR and the LPR.
Finally, the resolution calls on the Biden administration to sanction members of the State Duma and Federation Council who voted to recognize the independence of the DPR and the LPR, as well as close associates or family members of those officials, pursuant to Executive Orders 13660 and 13661, which authorize sanctions against those who threaten Ukraine's sovereignty and are officials of the Russian Federation.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 945 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 945

Condemning Members of the Russian Duma and Federation Council who voted 
   to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in flagrant 
     violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, 
   international law, and Russia's commitments under the 2015 Minsk 
                               agreement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 2022

Mr. Meijer (for himself, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Kinzinger, 
Mr. Crenshaw, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Upton, Mr. Katko, Ms. Mace, 
Miss Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mr. Garbarino, and Mrs. Kim of 
 California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning Members of the Russian Duma and Federation Council who voted 
   to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in flagrant 
     violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, 
   international law, and Russia's commitments under the 2015 Minsk 
                               agreement.

Whereas, since Russia's illegal invasion and subsequent annexation of the 
        Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, Russia has engineered the rise 
        of new separatist movements in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of 
        eastern Ukraine, collectively known as the Donbas;
Whereas the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements, designed to end the war in the 
        Donbas region, established a cease-fire and provided a ``special 
        status'' for the Donbas region that would enable it to enjoy limited 
        autonomy while under continued control of the government of Ukraine;
Whereas, on February 15, 2022, Russia's State Duma, the lower house of 
        parliament, voted 351 to 16 to adopt a resolution calling for the 
        diplomatic recognition of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) 
        and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), self-proclaimed breakaway 
        regions in the Donbas;
Whereas Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued baseless claims of 
        ``genocide'' by the Ukrainian military against the population in the 
        Donbas and local authorities ordered women and children to evacuate, 
        marking a clear prelude to a Russian invasion;
Whereas, on February 21, 2022, President Putin signed decrees recognizing the 
        DPR and LPR and ordered the Russian military to conduct ``peacekeeping 
        operations'' in the territories, marking a dangerous military escalation 
        and a blatant violation of the Minsk agreements and international law;
Whereas, on February 22, 2022, the Duma voted 398 to 0 and the Federation 
        Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, voted 154 to 0 to recognize 
        the DPR and LPR and grant President Putin consent to use military force 
        in the Donbas region; and
Whereas, on the same day, Russian tanks and troops moved into Donetsk and 
        Luhansk in what the White House described as an ``invasion'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns Members of the Russian Duma and Federation 
        Council who voted to recognize the independence of Donetsk and 
        Luhansk in flagrant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and 
        territorial integrity, international law, and Russia's 
        commitments under the 2015 Minsk agreement;
            (2) commends the European Union's decision to sanction 351 
        Russian legislators who appealed to President Putin to 
        recognize the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk 
        People's Republic (LPR);
            (3) calls on the Biden administration to sanction Members 
        of the State Duma and Federation Council who voted to recognize 
        the DPR and LPR, as well as close associates or family members 
        of those officials, pursuant to Executive Orders 13660 and 
        13661, which authorize sanctions against those who ``threaten 
        [Ukraine's] security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial 
        integrity'' and are ``official[s] of the Government of the 
        Russian Federation''; and
            (4) stands firmly and decisively in support of Ukraine's 
        sovereignty and territorial integrity, and against the Putin 
        regime's military aggression and blatant violations of 
        international laws and norms.
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