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Responding to the threat
H.Res.562 | S.Res.268
- Responding to the threat posed by the Russian Federation’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, and for other purposes.
Whereas the military doctrine of the Russian Federation states “The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to … large-scale aggression utilizing conventional weapons in situations critical to the national security of the Russian Federation”;
Whereas it is estimated that the Russian Federation has an arsenal of as many as 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons;
Whereas President Vladimir Putin has expressed a willingness to use tactical nuclear weapons when he stated “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people—this is not a bluff … [a]nd those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them”;
Whereas, on March 23, 2023, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, stated “Every day when they [the west] provide Ukraine with foreign weapons brings the nuclear apocalypse closer”;
Whereas, in May 2023, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus formalized an agreement that allows for the deployment of the Russian Federation’s tactical nuclear weapons in the Republic of Belarus;
Whereas the deployment of the Russian Federation’s tactical nuclear weapons in the Republic of Belarus would be the first such deployment of these weapons outside of the Russian Federation since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991;
Whereas, on June 17, 2023, President Vladimir Putin confirmed that the Russian Federation had begun to deploy tactical nuclear weapons within the Republic of Belarus and confirmed that the deployment of these weapons would be completed by the end of the summer;
Whereas, on June 17, 2023, following the announcement of the Russian Federation’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the Republic of Belarus, President Biden expressed publically that such a move was “totally irresponsible”;
Whereas, on June 19, 2023, President Biden stated, “I [worry] about Putin using tactical nuclear weapons”, and that the threat of the Russian Federation using such a weapon is “real”;
Whereas the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the Republic of Belarus by the Russian Federation poses an increased threat to not only Ukraine but also our NATO allies and United States troops stationed in nations along the Belarusian border;
Whereas the use of a tactical nuclear weapon or an attack that results in nuclear fallout of any kind would impact Europe and NATO member states; and
Whereas Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty states “… an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and … will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security …”: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) agrees that the deployment of the Russian Federation’s tactical nuclear weapons within the Republic of Belarus is a threat to Ukraine and NATO member States;
(2) views the use of any tactical nuclear weapon by the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, or their proxies, or the destruction of a nuclear facility, dispersing radioactive contaminates into NATO territory causing significant harm to human life, as an attack on NATO requiring an immediate response, including the implementation of Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty; and
(3) urges the current administration to consult with NATO leaders and other European partners to develop a comprehensive response to minimize the threat to civilians and coordinate a diplomatic and military response commensurate with the situation.
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