WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), joined a bipartisan resolution – led by Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) recognizing Russia’s war in Ukraine as genocide. Putin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine has included forced deportations and the deliberate killing of Ukrainian civilians resulting in mass atrocities, constituting a genocide against the people of Ukraine.

“One year after Vladimir Putin’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, it is clear that Russia is committing genocide. The Ukrainian people have shown an amazing resilience, but it is critical that the United States and our allies recognize that ongoing mass murders and indiscriminate attacks on civilians are acts of genocide designed to erase the identity of the Ukrainian people. The Putin regime is ruthless, and Ukraine deserves our continued support in the face of this aggression,” Senator Capito said.

“Putin’s unprovoked invasion and terrible acts of war have amounted to a genocide against the Ukrainian people,” Senator Manchin said. “It is our responsibility as a world power and democratic leader to support our allies in times of need and we must hold Russia accountable for its continued atrocities against Ukraine. Our bipartisan resolution is an important step towards recognizing the depths of Russia’s war crimes and reaffirming America’s commitment to support the Ukrainian people as they defend their country from tyranny.”

The resolution:

  • Condemns those Russians responsible for committing acts of genocide against the people of Ukraine;

  • Calls on the United States, along with NATO and EU allies, to support the government of Ukraine to prevent further acts of Russian genocide against the Ukrainian people;

  • Supports tribunals and international criminal investigations to hold Russian political leaders and military personnel accountable for a war of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

  • Urges the president to use Global Magnitsky sanctions on those responsible for or complicit in the Russian genocide against the Ukrainian people; and

  • Describes the substantial and significant evidence of widespread, systematic actions to eliminate the next generation of Ukrainians, including targeting maternity wards at hospitals and forcibly transferring thousands of children to the Russian Federation or territories controlled by the Russian Federation.

Senators Capito, Manchin, Risch, and Cardin were joined by Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rick Scott (R-Fla), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.),  Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

The full text of the resolution is available here.

 

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