HOUSE MEMORIAL 55

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Gail Chasey and Javier Martínez and Raymundo Lara

and Reena Szczepanski

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

SUPPORTING UKRAINE AGAINST RUSSIAN AGGRESSION.

 

     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

     WHEREAS, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian people voted overwhelmingly to form a nation independent from Russia and built a thriving democratic country grounded in the rule of law; and

     WHEREAS, more than thirty years ago, Ukraine declared its independence, and in 1994, the United States, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom signed an agreement whereby each country pledged to respect the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine's borders in return for its nuclear disarmament; and

     WHEREAS, in 2014, the pro-western Euromaidan protest movement in Ukraine led to the resignation of authoritarian president Victor Yanukovych, a brutal ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, and ushered in democratically elected leaders who have sought closer ties to the United States, the European Union and Great Britain; and

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

     WHEREAS, in order to manufacture a pretext to invade and occupy Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and his surrogates lied to the people of Russia and the global community, falsely claiming that Ukraine posed a threat to Russians and that he was launching a crusade against "Ukrainian Nazis"; and

     WHEREAS, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched an unjust, unwarranted and unprovoked full-scale war of choice and aggression upon the peaceful nation of Ukraine; and

     WHEREAS, the Russian Federation violated international peace and security agreements that provided peaceful alternatives; and

     WHEREAS, since February 24, 2022, Russian soldiers and surrogates have brutally inflicted violence and terror upon Ukrainian civilians of every age, including children and the elderly, and committed atrocities throughout Ukraine; and

     WHEREAS, since February 24, 2022, Russian soldiers and surrogates have cruelly killed Ukrainian citizens' pets, domestic animals and wildlife; and

     WHEREAS, since February 24, 2022, Russian soldiers and surrogates have attacked Ukrainian farms, environment, cultural institutions, religious sites and heritage; and

     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

     WHEREAS, Russia has attacked and damaged nuclear power facilities in Ukraine, captured and tortured workers from the facilities and subjected Ukraine and its neighbors to risks of radioactive releases; and

     WHEREAS, as Russia's military struggled on the battlefield, Putin resorted to relying on the brutal PMC Wagner group to inflict his war of aggression and choice; and

     WHEREAS, the PMC Wagner group is a Russian mercenary organization that was founded and is led by a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin; and

     WHEREAS, the PMC Wagner group has been designated as a significant transnational criminal organization pursuant to United States executive orders and by the United States 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 Ukrainian identity and place them with Russian citizens; and

     WHEREAS, Russia's war on Ukraine has severely disrupted Ukrainian and international economies, resources, food supplies and environments; and

     WHEREAS, the brutality of Russia's war on Ukraine is an affront to international law, decency and humanity; and

     WHEREAS, a threat to the sovereign borders of Ukraine is a threat to all western democracies; and

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

     WHEREAS, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States and the international community have imposed sanctions on Russia and provided Ukraine with equipment and resources it needs to defend its territory and people; and

     WHEREAS, the leaders, military and citizens of Ukraine continue to valiantly stand up and fight against Russia's unjust and heinous invasion of their country; and

     WHEREAS, Ukraine deserves the continued support of every 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 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 condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Vladimir Putin's attack on the people of Ukraine and endorse continued economic sanctions and export controls on Russia and continued provision of military and humanitarian resources to Ukraine; 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 Ukrainian borders, end Russia's war on Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its actions; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the president of the United States, the senate of the United States, the house of representatives of the United States, members of New Mexico's congressional delegation and the Ukrainian embassy in the United States.

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