00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 25 am 01 Standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine; condemning the illegal invasion of 02 Ukraine; endorsing the sanctions and export controls directed at the Russian Federation 03 by the United States government; urging the United States Congress and the President 04 to consider measured and appropriate sanctions and actions; demanding the Russian 05 Federation immediately stop all hostilities against Ukraine and withdraw from 06 Ukrainian territory; and supporting the United States in urging the Russian Federation 07 to immediately stop its assault on Ukraine. 08 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 09 WHEREAS the post-war international security order, led by the North Atlantic Treaty 10 Organization (NATO), has relied on diplomacy, peace, and open communication over armed 11 conflict to ensure prosperity and stability for over 1,000,000,000 people for more than 70 12 years; and 13 WHEREAS, on December 1, 1991, the Ukrainian people voted overwhelmingly to 14 form a State independent from the Soviet Union, building a democracy and a thriving country 01 grounded in the rule of law; and 02 WHEREAS the borders of Ukraine were subsequently universally recognized by the 03 international community, including by the Russian Federation; and 04 WHEREAS, in 2014, pro-Western protests in Ukraine led to the resignation of 05 authoritarian president Viktor Yanukovych, an ally of Vladimir Putin, and ushered in 06 democratically elected leaders who have sought closer ties to the European Union and the 07 United States; and 08 WHEREAS, contrary to the free will of the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of 09 security, peace, and prosperity through closer ties to the European Union and the United 10 States, the Russian Federation annexed territory from Ukraine in 2014 and instigated, 11 supported, and supplied a deadly separatist war in Eastern Ukraine, particularly in the 12 Donetsk and Luhansk provinces of Ukraine, destabilizing the region; and 13 WHEREAS the Russian Federation violated international peace and security 14 agreements that sought a peaceful solution in Eastern Ukraine and instead amassed hundreds 15 of thousands of troops on Ukraine's border; and 16 WHEREAS Vladimir Putin has now launched an unjust and illegal invasion of the 17 peaceful nation of Ukraine; and 18 WHEREAS Russian soldiers are currently sweeping through the country, inflicting 19 violence and terror on millions of civilians and destroying homes, businesses, and economic 20 infrastructure; and 21 WHEREAS reports of civilian casualties call for ensuring humanitarian access and 22 respect for human rights and the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law; and 23 WHEREAS Ukraine has been a bulwark against Russian military aggression in 24 Europe, and Vladimir Putin has said that Russia's territory should extend to the historic 25 boundaries of Imperial Russia, with possible intentions of threatening NATO allies with 26 military force; and 27 WHEREAS Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a violation of Article 2, paragraph 28 4, of the United Nations Charter, which states that all member states shall refrain from the 29 threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or 30 in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations; and 31 WHEREAS Ukraine is a nation under siege, and the brutality of this unnecessary and 01 violent war is an affront to both international law and common decency; and 02 WHEREAS the United States has galvanized the international community and our 03 allies to impose the strongest possible sanctions on Russia and its financial institutions as a 04 means to inhibit Russia's ability to finance and replenish arms for its war against Ukraine; and 05 WHEREAS the patriotism, perseverance, and tenacity the Ukrainian people have 06 shown in defending their country is an inspiration to the entire world; and 07 WHEREAS Ukraine deserves the support of every American and the entire 08 international community as it defends itself from this unprovoked Russian invasion, which is 09 the largest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II; 10 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proudly stands in solidarity 11 with the people of Ukraine during this horrific and unnecessary war; and be it 12 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature condemns, in the 13 strongest possible terms, Vladimir Putin's violent attack on the people of Ukraine; and be it 14 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature strongly endorses the 15 swift and severe economic sanctions and stringent export controls that the United States has 16 imposed on Russia and urges the United States Congress and the President to consider 17 measured and appropriate sanctions and actions; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the United States 19 in urging Russia to immediately stop its violent, illegal, and immoral assault on Ukraine, end 20 the needless bloodshed, completely withdraw its military forces from within Ukraine's 21 internationally recognized borders, and return to diplomacy and the rules-based international 22 order that has ensured peace and prosperity for so many, for so long. 23 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President 24 of the United States; the Honorable Volodomyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, President of 25 Ukraine; Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation; the Honorable 26 Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the 27 Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Kevin 28 McCarthy, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Charles 29 Schumer, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority 30 Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Oksana Markarova, Ambassador Extraordinary and 31 Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States; the Honorable Anatoly I. Antonov, 01 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States; 02 members of the United Nations Security Council; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 03 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 04 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.