U.S. Senate reaffirms non-recognition of Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and calls for maintenance of sanctions against the Russian Federation. U.S. Senator and Senate Ukraine Caucus Co-Chair Robert Portman (R-OH) and U.S. Senator and the Caucus Vice-Chair Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have introduced a bipartisan resolution ‘Condemning illegal Russian aggression in Ukraine on the three year anniversary of the annexation of Crimea’.

The resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bob Casey (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Cory Gardner (R-CO).

The resolution follows the three-year anniversary of Russia’s attempt to illegally annex Crimea and considers the illegal Russian military occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine an affront to international norms, an unprovoked aggression, and a threat to regional stability.

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 Senators stand for continued support to Ukraine, including increased economic sanctions against Russia, defensive lethal assistance to our state, and democracy and humanitarian assistance, as authorized by relevant legislation passed by the U.S. Congress.

We are grateful to our friends in the United States Senate for their yet another powerful demonstration of support to the Ukrainian people counteracting the continuing Russian aggression.