Should the U.S. Pressure Russia to Withdraw from Ukraine? (H.R. 5094)

What is H.R. 5094?

(Updated December 10, 2021)

This bill does a lot of things to reaffirm the U.S.’s position that Russia should end its occupation of parts of Ukraine, notably, Crimea. First, it requires that federal agencies don’t recognize Crimea as a part of Russia. The Government Publishing Office (GPO) would be required to not print any documents that acknowledge Crimea as part of Russia.

The bill extends the current sanctions against Russian officials that are contributing to the Ukraine crisis until either Russia gives Ukraine back its territory, or the two countries reach an agreement to permanently settle the dispute.

It also extends an Executive Order which allows the U.S. to seize any property, financial or otherwise, belonging to Russians who are contributing to the Ukraine crisis or people helping those contributors, assuming that property is brought into the U.S. For example, if someone takes money from a Russian military official in Crimea and puts it in a U.S. bank, the bill would require that the account be frozen.

The President is also directed to use America’s international influence to pressure countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into ending any agreements they have to sell Russia weapons or military equipment. The relevant federal agencies would then monitor which NATO member countries, if any, still have arms deals with Russia.

The bill also contains a few miscellaneous provisions, including:

• Requiring that international U.S. radio broadcasts to Crimea be in the region’s native language;

• Requiring the Dept. of State to try to increase private investment in Ukraine; and

• Adding Russians who have committed human rights violations in Ukraine to an existing list of people who are blocked from accessing U.S. financial markets.

Argument in favor

This bill demonstrates America’s resolve to ensure that Ukraine remains a sovereign country by pressuring the Russian government to give up control of Crimea.

Argument opposed

This bill authorizes increased sanctions on Russian officials, but considering that current sanctions haven’t caused any change, these won’t either.

Impact

Russians who violated human rights in Crimea; Russian officials and elites who started the invasion; the Dept of State; the GPO; federal agencies; and NATO.

Cost of H.R. 5094

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) explained in a press release that the bill would bolster existing policies that pressure Russia to end its occupation of Crimea:

“Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has undermined that country’s sovereignty, and at the same time threatened our own long-term investment in a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace. Russia’s occupation of Crimea is illegal. We need to be crystal clear about that in our policy, just as we were during the Soviets’ decades-long occupation of the Baltic states.  We need to build on our sanctions regime against troublemakers in the Kremlin, while working to preserve transatlantic unity.  And we need to find ways of shoring up Ukraine and deterring Putin that go beyond just throwing more money at the problem.”

However, as an article from The Saker points out, the bill authorizes a vaguely defined expansion in existing sanctions and could block all arms deals with Russia:

“The devil is always in the details, and what essentially is introduced by this bill is provisions for unrestricted sanctions on Russia, and the long list of punishment on those persons and entities who try to evade, knowingly or unknowingly, these unilateral US sanctions. If enacted, this bill also will deal a serious blow to international arms trade. It calls for amendment of International Trafficking in Arms Regulations. It looks like its calling to block any and all arms deals with Russia for all NATO members, and also for all non-NATO countries.”

Of Note: Despite current measures by the U.S. and Europe to pressure Russia into leaving Ukraine, Russian aggression in the region continues. As recently as August 2016, Russia attacked 47 Ukrainian military positions within 24 hours. Russia originally invaded Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in March of 2014. In September of 2014, Russia and Ukraine signed the Minsk Protocol, a shaky ceasefire agreement that collapsed within days. In February of 2015, a new ceasefire was signed, but hasn’t been fully implemented.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) Press Release

• The Saker

• Ukraine Today

• BBC