,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #hjb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #af1 #bjbj,ms4 ,kaptur 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4 ,brendan ,f4 ,boyle of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,cook1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 ,mr4 ,costa1 ,mr4 ,ryan1 ,mr4 ,lamborn1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,price of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 and ,mr4 ,lipinski7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,affirming the ,united ,states vital interest in liberty in ,europe and resolute support for ,ukraine in its efforts to counter ,russian aggression and continue its trajectory among the community of democracies4 ,whereas ,ukraine joined the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization's 7,,nato7 ,partnership for ,peace ,program in #aiid1 and has been a longstanding ,,nato-aspirant country2 ,whereas at the #bjjh ,bucharest ,,nato ,summit1 member nations' heads of state and government issued a communique stating1 ,,nato welcomes ,ukraine's and ,georgia's ,euro-,atlantic aspirations for membership in ,,nato4 ,we agreed today that these countries will become members of ,,nato4 ,both nations have made valuable contribution to ,alliance operations42 ,whereas ,ukraine and the ,european ,union have entered into an ,association ,agreement1 which pro-,russian1 corrupt ,ukrainian ,president ,victor ,yanukovych refused to conclude in #bjac2 ,whereas1 in #bjad1 the ,ukrainian people bravely rose up in the ,revolution of ,dignity1 leading to the ouster of ,president ,yanukovych2 ,whereas1 as a result1 ,russian ,forces illegally invaded1 occupied1 and annexed ,ukraine's ,crimea region in ,march #bjad1 as well as led and supported illegal military1 paramilitary1 and other separatist activity in the ,donetsk and ,luhansk oblasts of eastern ,ukraine since ,april #bjad2 ,whereas the ,kremlin's aggression in ,ukraine has led to the deaths of more than #ac1jjj people and the internal displacement of more than #a1djj1jjj2 ,whereas ,russian-controlled separatists continue to violate ceasefire agreements1 including through bringing heavy weaponry near civilian populations and the line of contact2 ,whereas ,russian-controlled separatists have been targeting civilian basic needs facilities such as water filtration systems1 heat and electricity facilities1 powerlines1 and other critical services2 ,whereas1 on ,july #ag1 #bjad1 ,russian-backed separatists shot down ,malaysia ,airlines ,flight #ag tragically killing #bih innocents2 ,whereas ,russia has a deeply concerning human rights record in ,russian-occupied ,crimea and territories in eastern ,ukraine1 including persecution of religious minorities such as the ,crimean ,tatars1 and arbitrary arrests and disappearances of journalists and civil society activists2 ,whereas international humanitarian law1 including the ,geneva ,conventions1 to which ,russia is a signatory1 requires ,russia to respect and protect the religious freedom of the inhabitants of the territory it occupies and controls1 or controls through organized nonstate armed groups it commands1 and holds ,russia responsible for violations of religious freedom in this territory2 ,whereas according to the ,department of ,state's ,international ,religious ,freedom ,reports1 and other reporting1 violations of religious freedom in the ,crimea region of ,ukraine since ,russia invaded and occupied the territory have included abduction1 detention and imprisonment1 torture1 forced psychiatric hospitalizations1 fines1 restrictions on missionary activities1 confiscations of property1 including churches and meeting halls1 expulsions and obstructions to reentry1 denying registration of religious groups1 vandalism1 fines1 and banning peaceful religious groups1 and targeted groups have included ,muslim ,crimean ,tatars1 the ,orthodox ,church of ,ukraine1 formerly the ,ukrainian ,orthodox ,church of the ,kyivan ,patriarchate1 the ,ukrainian ,greek ,catholic ,church1 ,protestant ,christians1 and ,jehovah's ,witnesses2 ,whereas according to the ,department of ,state's ,international ,religious ,freedom ,reports1 violations of religious freedom in the part of the ,donbas region of ,ukraine controlled by armed groups commanded by ,russia have included detention and imprisonment1 torture1 confiscation of property1 including churches and meeting halls1 physical assaults and threats of violence1 vandalism1 fines1 restrictions on missionary activities1 religious services1 ceremonies1 gatherings1 and literature1 and banning of peaceful religious groups1 and targeted groups have included the ,orthodox ,church of ,ukraine1 formerly the ,ukrainian ,orthodox ,church-,kyiv ,patriarchate1 the ,ukrainian ,greek ,catholic ,church1 ,protestant ,christians1 and ,jehovah's ,witnesses2 ,whereas ,emir-,usein ,kukus1 a ,crimean ,tatar and vocal dissident of ,russia's oppression in ,crimea1 was arrested1 beaten1 interrogated1 and illegally transported to ,rostov-on-,don in the ,russian ,federation by the ,federal ,security ,service 7,,fsb7 where he remains in ,russian detainment2 ,whereas ,russia seeks to undermine democratic institutions in ,ukraine and globally through hybrid means1 including conventional warfare1 cyberattacks1 weaponizing energy1 election intervention1 disinformation campaigns1 and paramilitary operations2 ,whereas ,russia seeks to use the ,nord ,stream ,,ii and ,turk ,stream natural gas pipelines to bypass ,ukrainian transit routes and weaken that nation's energy security and economy2 ,whereas the ,russian ,federal ,security ,service ,border ,service illegally fired upon and captured #c ,ukrainian ,navy vessels1 including #bd ,ukrainian crewmembers1 that were exercising ,ukraine's right to navigation through the ,kerch ,strait on the way to the ,ukrainian port of ,mariupol in ,november #bjah2 ,whereas this naval aggression is part of ,russia's strategy of creeping annexation1 to slowly chip away at ,ukraine's sovereignty2 ,whereas the ,ukrainian government states that ,russia is holding at least #aac ,ukrainian political prisoners in ,russian territory and ,russian-occupied ,crimea in contravention of international law2 ,whereas it is estimated that more than #ajj other prisoners are being held in the ,russia-controlled regions of eastern ,ukraine2 ,whereas ,russia1 together with the ,united ,states and the ,united ,kingdom1 affirmed its commitment to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of ,ukraine1 as well as the obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against ,ukraine in the ,december #aiid ,budapest ,memorandum on ,security ,assurances1 in exchange for ,ukraine's voluntary and peaceful willingness to relinquish its nuclear weapons2 ,whereas1 since #bjad1 the ,united ,states ,government has imposed sanctions against ,russia for its illegal annexation of ,crimea1 invasion of eastern ,ukraine1 and other malign activities in ,ukraine2 ,whereas ,congress passed the ,countering ,america's ,adversaries ,through ,sanctions ,act of #bjag with overwhelming bipartisan support1 which codified and strengthened these sanctions2 ,whereas ,congress has provided close to #d billion in critical security and development assistance to ,ukraine to help that nation deter ,russian aggression1 strengthen democratic institutions1 and to continue its euro-,atlantic trajectory2 ,whereas ,united ,states servicemembers in cooperation with ,,nato forces provide critical training to ,ukrainian ground force units at the ,yavoriv ,combat ,training ,center2 ,whereas ,united ,states cooperation with ,ukraine has yielded valuable lessons into the evolution of ,russia's hybrid warfare tactics thereby enhancing ,united ,states readiness2 ,whereas ,ukraine held ,presidential and parliamentary elections in #bjai1 which the international community lauded as free and fair2 ,whereas1 since the #bjad ,revolution of ,dignity1 ,ukraine's civil society has played a critical role in advancing democratic and rule of law reforms1 sometimes paying with their lives1 as was the case of ,kateryna ,handziuk1 who died on ,november #d1 #bjah1 of injuries sustained during a ,july #bjah acid attack2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjai1 ,ukraine launched a special anticorruption court to counter ,ukraine's longstanding problems of corruption that is to be free from political influence2 ,whereas ,ukraine's central bank rightfully nationalized ,privat,bank due to its previous owners' rampant corruption and theft from the ,ukrainian people2 ,whereas ,privat,bank must remain independent from any oligarch influence1 must not be returned to its previous ownership1 and is a test case for ,ukraine's commitment to anticorruption reform efforts2 ,whereas1 in ,january #bjai1 the ,ecumenical ,patriarch of ,constantinople recognized an autocephalous ,orthodox ,church of ,ukraine1 thereby officially granting it independence from the ,russian ,orthodox ,church2 and ,whereas it is the longstanding policy of the ,united ,states not to recognize territorial changes that are the result of illegal use of force3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 reaffirms the commitment of the ,united ,states to support the democratically elected ,government of ,ukraine and its people2 7#b7 reaffirms the support of the ,united ,states for the integration of ,ukraine with the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization and the ,european ,union2 7#c7 commends the ,ukrainian people's commitment to liberty and critical progress made since the #bjad ,revolution of ,dignity despite immense pressure from ,russian aggression and hybrid warfare tactics2 7#d7 condemns ,russia's continued aggression in ,ukraine including the illegal occupation of ,crimea and eastern ,ukraine2 7#e7 calls for ,russia to immediately remove all personnel and equipment belonging to its security or armed forces and proxies from the sovereign territory of ,ukraine1 and for ,ukraine to regain control of its border with ,russia1 including sections now held by separatist forces2 7#f7 calls for the immediate release of ,ukrainian human rights defenders and dissidents illegally arrested by ,russian forces and their proxies2 7#g7 condemns any form of religious persecution and violation of religious freedoms by ,russia or armed groups commanded by ,russia in the illegally occupied ,donbas and ,crimea regions of ,ukraine2 7#h7 reaffirms opposition to the ,nord ,stream ,,ii natural gas pipeline1 which is political in nature1 and calls for enactment of sanctions with respect to these pipelines2 7#i7 expresses support for increased ,united ,states security and capacity-building assistance to ,ukraine1 and an increase in funds for such assistance2 7#aj7 urges the ,united ,states to continue to strengthen critical efforts to enhance ,ukrainian capacity to defend itself1 including via enhanced cyber cooperation1 military training and provision of military equipment1 countering disinformation1 assistance to support psychosocial care and job integration for ,ukrainian veterans1 supporting market access for ,ukrainian rural women1 and other critical programs2 7#aa7 supports the ,ukrainian government in its efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the international armed conflict in eastern ,ukraine caused by ,russia's ongoing military aggression and illegal occupation1 through the establishment of a full ceasefire1 withdrawal of ,russian and ,russia-backed illegal military forces1 and the fulfillment of other elements of the ,minsk ,agreements and appointing a ,united ,states diplomat to play an active role in support of the negotiations and ensuring ,ukraine's security2 7#ab7 calls for ,russia to release all ,ukrainians detained by ,russian forces or their proxies for their activities on sovereign ,ukrainian territory2 7#ac7 calls on the ,united ,states ,government1 ,united ,states allies in ,europe1 the ,united ,nations1 the ,organization for ,security and ,co-operation in ,europe1 and international partners to continue to pressure ,russia to uphold its international obligations2 and 7#ad7 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 ,europe4