That the Senate—
condemns the Government of the Russian Federation’s illegal, unprovoked military occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine and continued aggression in eastern Ukraine, and reiterates that it is the policy of the United States not to recognize the de jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea or any other seized area in Ukraine, its airspace, or its territorial waters;
supports the vigorous enforcement of sanctions and opposes the lifting of sanctions as long as Russia continues its military aggression in Ukraine in violation of the Minsk II Agreement;
calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately end its support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine, allow Ukraine to regain control of its internationally recognized borders, and withdraw its military presence in eastern Ukraine, including Crimea;
declares that the United States Government must never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation;
urges the President of the United States, in coordination with United States allies, to stand by Ukraine, condemn continued Russian aggression, and use all possible tools to combat Russian belligerence, including increased economic sanctions, defensive lethal assistance, and democracy and humanitarian assistance, as authorized by the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, and the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act;
urges the President of the United States to continue United States support for the Ukrainian economy and civil society, including continued support by international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund;
condemns efforts by the Government of the Russian Federation to intimidate and coerce nations in Eastern Europe from strengthening their ties with NATO and the European Union;
supports efforts by the United States Government and United States allies to strengthen the energy sector in Ukraine in order to reduce Ukraine's dependence on natural gas imported from the Russian Federation;
acknowledges the Government of Ukraine for its commitment to reform and encourages it to continue implementation of key reforms, including judicial reform, greater parliamentary oversight, further implementation of anti-corruption initiatives, including prosecutions and convictions of major figures involved in corruption schemes, budget and procurement transparency and accountability across government, civilian control of the military, and improved end-use monitoring and sustainment plans for United States security assistance items;
urges the President of the United States not to agree to any final settlement of the conflict in Ukraine without the consent of the Government of Ukraine;
pledges continued support for all democratic allies and partners of the United States facing increased Russian aggression;
reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances;
reiterates the obligation of all nations under the United Nations Charter to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other nations;
encourages United States allies in Europe to continue their coordinated efforts to counter Russian aggression in the region, including economic sanctions, increased defense spending, and greater action against Russian disinformation and propaganda in order to make clear that Russian efforts will not go unchecked;
calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide greater access to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in order to ensure credible international monitoring of compliance with the Minsk agreement; and
calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to engage seriously in dialogue with the Government of Ukraine—in coordination with key international partners—in order to come to an agreement that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty, ensures regional stability, and puts both nations on the path towards a permanent cease-fire.