US Senate considers resolution to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons
A resolution was introduced in the U.S. Senate in connection with the third anniversary of the annexation of the Crimea, calling for the maintenance of sanctions against the Russian Federation and the provision of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States, the draft resolution "Condemning illegal Russian aggression in Ukraine on the three year anniversary of the annexation of Crimea" was introduced by Senators Robert Portman and Sherrod Brown, Co-Chair and Vice-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus.
Almost twenty senators from the Republican and Democratic parties acted as co-authors of the resolution.
The resolution follows the three-year anniversary of Russia’s attempt to illegally annex the Crimea and considers the illegal Russian military occupation of the Crimean region of Ukraine an affront to international norms, an unprovoked aggression, and a threat to regional stability.
"Consequently, the U.S. Senate reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances 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, its airspace, or its territorial waters," the Embassy said.
The Senators also advocate for further support for Ukraine, including strengthening economic sanctions against the Russian Federation, providing defensive lethal assistance to Ukraine, supporting democracy, and providing humanitarian assistance as authorized by the U.S. Congress.