HM 55 — SUPPORT UKRAINE

HOUSE MEMORIAL 55 56TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEWMEXICO - FIRST SESSION 2023 INTRODUCED BY Gail Chasey and Javier Martínez and Raymundo Lara and Reena Szczepanski 7 9 A MEMORIAL SUPPORTING UKRAINE AGAINST RUSSIAN AGGRESSION.

134 WHEREAS, the post-war international security order, led by the North Atlantic treaty organization, relied upon diplomacy, peace and communication rather than armed conflict to ensure prosperity and stability for more than seventy years;

and e t 17 WHEREAS, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the w l n d 18 Ukrainian people voted overwhelmingly to form a nation = = 19 a l independent from Russia and built a thriving democratic country i a e r 20 grounded in the rule of law;

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, more than thirty years ago, Ukraine declared its d r e 22 independence, and in 1994, the United States, the Russian c e s k 23 Federation and the United Kingdom signed an agreement whereby e a n b 24 each country pledged to respect the independence and u [ sovereignty of Ukraine's borders in return for its nuclear .224886.4 disarmament;

and WHEREAS, Ukraine is recognized as a peaceful and HM 55 Page 1 honorable democratic republic that is governed by democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal;

and e t 17 WHEREAS, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched an w l n d 18 unjust, unwarranted and unprovoked full-scale war of choice and = = 19 a l aggression upon the peaceful nation of Ukraine;

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, the Russian Federation violated international a t m m 21 peace and security agreements that provided peaceful d r e 22 alternatives;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, since February 24, 2022, Russian soldiers and e a n b 24 surrogates have brutally inflicted violence and terror upon u [ Ukrainian civilians of every age, including children and the .224886.4 - 2 - elderly, and committed atrocities throughout Ukraine;

and HM 55 Page 2 WHEREAS, since February 24, 2022, Russia has used targeted and indiscriminate aerial strikes to destroy residential structures, hospitals, schools, businesses and critical infrastructure that supports life, including water systems and energy grids, plants and pipelines;

and e t 17 WHEREAS, as Russia's military struggled on the w l n d 18 battlefield, Putin resorted to relying on the brutal PMC Wagner = = 19 a l group to inflict his war of aggression and choice;

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, the PMC Wagner group is a Russian mercenary a t m m 21 organization that was founded and is led by a Russian oligarch d r e 22 with close ties to Putin;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, the PMC Wagner group has been designated as a e a n b 24 significant transnational criminal organization pursuant to u [ United States executive orders and by the United States .224886.4 - 3 - department of the treasury;

and WHEREAS, Russian soldiers and the PMC Wagner group are credibly alleged to have committed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by targeting children, the elderly, women and civilians through acts of cruel violence, torture, rape, abduction and forced mass displacement of Ukrainian children in Russian filtration camps to erase their HM 55 Page 3 Ukrainian identity and place them with Russian citizens;

and WHEREAS, Ukraine has been a bulwark against Russian e t 17 military aggression in Europe and the world;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, = = 19 a l the United States and the international community have imposed i a e r 20 sanctions on Russia and provided Ukraine with equipment and a t m m 21 resources it needs to defend its territory and people;

and d r e 22 WHEREAS, the leaders, military and citizens of Ukraine c e s k 23 continue to valiantly stand up and fight against Russia's e a n b 24 unjust and heinous invasion of their country;

and u [ WHEREAS, Ukraine deserves the continued support of every .224886.4 - 4 - American and the international community as Ukraine defends itself from Russia's invasion, which is the largest attack in Europe since World War II;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the members of the house of representatives proudly stand in solidarity HM 55 Page 4 with Ukraine, its people and its leaders, and commend them for their resiliency, courage and relentless fight to protect their right to self-determination and self-governance;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the house of representatives wholeheartedly support the United States and international efforts to swiftly aid Ukraine in defending e t 17 Ukrainian borders, end Russia's war on Ukraine and hold Russia w l n d 18 accountable for its actions;

and = = 19 a l BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be i a e r 20 transmitted to the president of the United States, the senate a t m m 21 of the United States, the house of representatives of the d r e 22 United States, members of New Mexico's congressional delegation c e s k 23 and the Ukrainian embassy in the United States.

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