Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act of 2018
A BILL
To strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to combat international cybercrime, and to impose additional sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
the President should immediately marshal and support a whole-of-government response by Federal agencies to address the threat posed by the Government of the Russian Federation and to work to prevent interference by that Government and other foreign state actors in United States institutions and democratic processes;
the President should publicly call for the Government of the Russian Federation to return Crimea to the control of the Government of Ukraine, end its support for separatist violence in eastern Ukraine, end its occupation of and support for separatists on the territory of Georgia and Moldova, and cease enabling the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria to commit war crimes;
the President should unequivocally condemn and counter the ongoing interference in United States institutions and democratic processes by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, his government, and affiliates of his government;
the conclusion of the United States intelligence community and law enforcement agencies and other United States Government officials that the Russian Federation has perpetrated, and continues to perpetrate, such interference, is correct;
the United States should continue to participate actively as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization by—
upholding the Organization’s core principles of collective defense, democratic rule of law, and peaceful settlement of disputes;
boosting coordination and deterrence capacity among member countries; and
supporting accession processes of prospective member countries who meet the obligations of membership;
Congress reiterates its strong support for the Russia Sanctions Review Act of 2017 (22 U.S.C. 9511), which allows for congressional review of an action to waive the application of sanctions under the provisions of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Public Law 115–44; 131 Stat. 886) relating to the Russian Federation or a licensing action that significantly alters United States foreign policy with regard to the Russian Federation; and
sanctions imposed with respect to the Russian Federation have been most effective when developed and coordinated in close consultation with the European Union.
Sec. 3 Statement of policy on Crimea
It is the policy of the United States that—
the United States will never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, similar to the 1940 Welles Declaration in which the United States refused to recognized the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States;
Crimea is part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine;
Crimea is part of Ukraine and the United States rejects attempts to change the status, demographics, or political nature of Crimea;
the United States reaffirms its unwavering support for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law for all individuals in Crimea, including non-Russian ethnic groups and religious minorities;
the United States condemns all human rights violations against individuals in Crimea, and underscores the culpability of the Government of the Russian Federation for such violations while the territory of Crimea is under illegal Russian occupation;
the United States, in coordination with the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and members of the international community, should prioritize efforts to prevent the further consolidation of illegal occupying powers in Crimea, reaffirm unified opposition to the actions of the Russian Federation in Crimea, and secure the human rights of individuals there; and
the United States welcomes the sanctions that have been imposed and maintained as of the date of the enactment of this Act by the United States and the European Union against persons engaged in furthering the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.