February 26, 2025
Mr. Connolly (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. Norton, Mr. Goldman of New York, and Ms. Kaptur) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
To counter Russian influence and aggression in Ukraine.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Defending Ukraine’s Territorial Integrity Act
.
Sec. 2. Countering Russian influence and aggression in Ukraine
(a) Statement of policy
It is the policy of the United States not to recognize the Russian Federation’s claim of sovereignty over, or independence, of any part of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, including Crimea and Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
(b) Prohibition
(1) In general
None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available to any Federal department or agency may be used to provide assistance for the central government of a country that the Secretary of State determines and reports to the appropriate congressional committees—
(A)
has recognized the independence of, or has established diplomatic relations with, any region located in the territory of Ukraine that is occupied by the Russian Federation or under the control of Russian-backed separatists, including Crimea and Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts; or
(B)
has taken affirmative steps intended to support or be supportive of the Russian Federation annexation of Crimea or other territory in Ukraine.
(2) Publication of list of central governments
The Secretary of State shall publish on the Department of State website a list of such central governments in a timely manner.
(3) Waiver
The Secretary of State may waive the prohibition on assistance required by paragraph (1) with respect to any such central government if the Secretary determines and reports to the appropriate congressional committees that to do so is in the national interest of the United States, and includes a justification for such interest.
(c) Appropriate congressional committees defined
In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.