10.12.22

Durbin, Portman, Rubio Provisions to Ban U.S. Recognition of Any Ukrainian Territory Annexed By Russia Included In Proposed FY23 NDAA Substitute

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced their amendments that prohibit the United States from recognizing any Russian claim of sovereignty over any portion of the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine have been included in the substitute of the Senate-version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that advanced to the Senate floor.  The provisions also specifically prohibit the use of U.S. funds to implement any activity that recognizes the sovereignty of Russia over Crimea and four additional provinces most recently facing sham Russian annexation referendums.

“As Putin continues to escalate his vicious attacks against innocent Ukrainians, we must stand strong against Russia,” said Durbin. “The bipartisan amendments included in the NDAA reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine and that the United States will never recognize sovereign Ukrainian territories as part of Russia. I will continue pushing for their inclusion in the final package.” 

“Russia’s recent attempts to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory are a sham, illegitimate and illegal under international law and will never be recognized by the United States,” said Portman. “I am pleased that my amendment with Senator Durbin, to prohibit any funding that would recognize Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian territory, is included in the Senate’s FY2023 NDAA, as it sends a clear message to Vladimir Putin that the United States stands with Ukraine and will work to ensure the sovereign borders of sovereign nations are respected.”

“There is no amount of propaganda or political scheming that can change the reality of what is happening in Ukraine,” said Rubio. “Vladimir Putin is the real aggressor in this war, and he is attempting an unjustified takeover of a sovereign, democratic country. The United States cannot recognize Putin’s claims or we risk establishing a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes, like the Chinese Communist Party, to imitate.”  

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