; Whereas Russian-backed separatists continue to shell parts of Ukraine and separatists have executed Ukrainian servicemembers, both in direct violation of the negotiated cease-fire; Whereas aggression by Russian-led separatist forces in Avdiivka in early February 2017 sparked the worst fighting since 2015 and resulted in significant damage to civilian infrastructure and the displacement of thousands of civilians; Whereas, despite President Poroshenko’s statement that Crimea is still Ukraine, and in the face of Resolution 68/262 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on March 27, 2014, which reiterated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and stated that the referendum held on March 16, 2014, had no validity [and] cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or of the city of Sevastopol , the Government of the Russian Federation continues to refer to Crimea as a region of the Russian Federation , declaring that of course the subject of our region is not up for discussion ; Whereas the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 71/205, which condemned the abuses, measures and practices of discrimination against the residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea, including Crimean Tatars, as well as Ukrainians and persons belonging to other ethnic and religious groups, by the Russian occupation authorities ; Whereas, during a hearing held by the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate on March 10, 2015, former United States Ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst cautioned that President Putin is attempting to overturn the post-Cold War order established in Europe and Eurasia ; Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has previously cut off natural gas to Ukraine as a bargaining chip