,,iii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #gb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #aj1 #bjae ,mr4 ,johnson 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,corker1 ,mr4 ,mc,cain1 ,mr4 ,risch1 ,mr4 ,barrasso1 ,mr4 ,isakson1 ,mr4 ,gardner1 ,ms4 ,ayotte1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,portman1 ,mr4 ,kirk1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mrs4 ,boxer1 ,mr4 ,graham1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,mr4 ,roberts1 and ,mr4 ,whitehouse7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,senate regarding the ,january #bd1 #bjae1 attacks carried out by ,russian-backed rebels on the civilian population in ,mariupol1 ,ukraine1 and the provision of lethal and non-lethal military assistance to ,ukraine4 ,whereas ,russian-backed rebels continue to expand their campaign in ,ukraine1 which has already claimed more than #e1jjj lives and generated an estimated #a1ejj1jjj refugees and internally displaced persons2 ,whereas1 on ,january #bc1 #bjae1 ,russian-backed rebels pulled out of peace talks with ,western leaders2 ,whereas1 on ,january #bd1 #bjae1 the ,ukrainian port city of ,mariupol received rocket fire from territory in the ,donetsk region controlled by rebels2 ,whereas1 on ,january #bd1 #bjae1 ,alexander ,zakharchenko1 leader of the ,russian-backed rebel ,donetsk ,people's ,republic1 publicly announced that his troops had launched an offensive against ,mariupol2 ,whereas ,mariupol is strategically located on the ,sea of ,azov and is a sea link between ,russian-occupied ,crimea and ,russia1 and could be used to form part of a land bridge between ,crimea and ,russia2 ,whereas the indiscriminate attack on ,mariupol killed #cj people1 including #b children1 and wounded #ajb in markets1 homes1 and schools2 ,whereas1 on ,april #ai1 #bjjj1 the ,united ,nations ,security ,council adopted ,resolution #abif1 reaffirming its strong condemnation of the deliberate targeting of civilians2 ,whereas1 even after the ,russian ,federation and the ,russian-backed rebels signed a ceasefire agreement called the ,minsk ,protocol in ,september #bjad1 ,,nato's ,supreme ,allied ,commander1 ,general ,philip ,breedlove1 reported in ,november #bjad the movement of ,russian troops1 ,russian artillery1 ,russian air defense systems1 and ,russian combat troops into ,ukraine2 ,whereas1 on ,january #bd1 #bjae1 ,,nato ,secretary ,general ,jens ,stoltenberg stated1 ,for several months we have seen the presence of ,russian forces in eastern ,ukraine1 as well as a substantial increase in ,russian heavy equipment such as tanks1 artillery1 and advanced air defense systems4 ,russian troops in eastern ,ukraine are supporting these offensive operations with command and control systems1 air defense systems with advanced surface-to-air missiles1 unmanned aerial systems1 advanced multiple rocket launcher systems1 and electronic warfare systems42 ,whereas1 on ,january #be1 #bjae1 after ,russian-backed rebels attacked ,mariupol1 ,european ,council ,president ,donald ,tusk wrote1 ,once again appeasement encourages the aggressor to greater acts of violence2 time to step up our policy based on cold facts1 not illusions42 ,whereas1 on ,november #ai1 #bjad1 at a ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate confirmation hearing1 ,deputy ,national ,security ,adviser ,anthony ,blinken stated that the provision of defensive lethal assistance to the ,government of ,ukraine remains on the table4 ,it's something we're looking at42 ,whereas the ,ukraine ,freedom ,support ,act 7,public ,law #aac-bgb71 which was passed by ,congress unanimously and signed into law by the ,president on ,december #ah1 #bjad1 states that it is the policy of the ,united ,states to further assist the ,government of ,ukraine in restoring its sovereignty and its territorial integrity to deter the ,government of the ,russian ,federation from further destabilizing and invading ,ukraine and other independent countries in ,central and ,eastern ,europe1 the ,caucasus1 and ,central ,asia2 and ,whereas the ,ukraine ,freedom ,support ,act authorizes #cej1jjj1jjj in fiscal years #bjae-bjag for the ,president to provide the ,government of ,ukraine with defense articles1 defense services1 and military training for the purpose of countering offensive weapons and reestablishing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ,ukraine1 including anti-tank and anti-armor weapons2 crew weapons and ammunition2 counter-artillery radars2 fire control and guidance equipment2 surveillance drones2 and secure command and communications equipment3 ,now1 therefore1 be it #a4 ,sense of the ,senate ,the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns the attack on ,mariupol by ,russian-backed rebels2 7#b7 urges the ,president to provide lethal and non-lethal military assistance to ,ukraine as unanimously supported by ,congress in the ,ukraine ,freedom ,support ,act of #bjad 7,public ,law #aac-bgb72 7#c7 calls on the ,united ,states1 its ,european allies1 and the international community to continue to apply economic and other forms of pressure on the ,russian ,federation1 especially in the form of sanctions1 if the ,government of the ,russian ,federation continues to refuse to cease its aggression in ,ukraine2 7#d7 calls on the ,government of the ,russian ,federation to immediately end its support for the rebels in eastern ,ukraine1 allow ,ukraine to regain control of its internationally recognized borders1 and withdraw its military presence in eastern ,ukraine2 and 7#e7 expresses solidarity with the people of ,ukraine regarding the humanitarian crisis in their country and the destruction caused by the military1 financial1 and ideological support of the ,government of the ,russian ,federation for the rebels in eastern ,ukraine4 #b4 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an authorization for the use of force or a declaration of war4