Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), alongside the NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation, leads Representatives Mike Turner (OH-10) and Gerry Connolly (VA-11), and a bipartisan coalition including Representatives Don Bacon (NE-2), Brendan Boyle (PA-2), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6), Steny Hoyer (MD-5), Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Joe Wilson (SC-2), introduced the Russian-Occupied Territory Non-Recognition Resolution—a defining statement of US policy against Russia’s illegal war of aggression.
Its key postulates are available on Fitzpatrick’s official site.
The resolution introduces “the exclusive policy of the United States to reject any and all claims made by the Russian Federation over sovereign Ukrainian territory—including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.”
“It ensures that no US action or policy will imply recognition of Russia’s illegal occupations and cements America’s steadfast commitment to Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity, and international law,” the site reads.
“The United States must never recognize Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukraine—just as we never recognized the Soviet Union’s annexation of the Baltic states,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick, Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. “Borders cannot be redrawn by force. Ukraine’s sovereignty is inviolable, its independence is absolute, and any attempt to legitimize Russia’s aggression is a betrayal of international law and democratic values.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Connolly said that the American commitment to Ukraine and its territorial integrity must be lasting and ironclad.
“We must reiterate, for however long it takes, that we will never recognize any sham Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory – not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Our resolution sends a clear message that we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends in Ukraine as they fight for their survival, their freedom, and their democracy,” he insisted.
The full text is available here.
