Whereas Ukraine was the second-most populous and powerful of the 15 republics of the former and disintegrated Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the hub of the Union’s agricultural production, defense industries, and military arsenal; Whereas in the three decades since gaining its independence, Ukraine has sought to forge its own path as a sovereign state and sought closer economic, social, and political ties with the free market and democratic nations of the West; Whereas, in February 2014, the military of the Russian Federation, without merit or cause, invaded the eastern part of the free and independent country of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, and backed a separatist insurgency in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed over 14,000 people; Whereas the United States, a strategic ally of Ukraine, reacted swiftly to the Russian invasion, condemning the military action in strong and bipartisan fashion, and providing military, humanitarian, and nonmilitary financial assistance to the determined but beleaguered nation of Ukraine, which since 2014 has totaled approximately $1.5 billion; Whereas, on September 14, 2014, the House of Representatives adopted H. Res. 726, a resolution supporting the right of the people of Ukraine to freely determine their future, including their country’s relationship with other nations and international organizations, without interference, intimidation, or coercion by other countries, and committed itself to solidarity with the people of Ukraine