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Vladimir Putin announced plans to hold referendums in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine with the goal of annexing these regions into the Russian Federation. Announcing annexation is intended to paint Ukrainian efforts to restore its territorial integrity as aggressive actions against the Russian Federation so as to depress the West’s assistance to Ukraine.
 

In order to bolster support for Ukraine and defend against efforts to force Ukraine to give up its sovereign territory, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) led bipartisan colleagues in introducing the Non-Recognition of Russian Annexation of Ukrainian Territory Act. The bill would require U.S. policy to not recognize any Russian claim of sovereignty over any portion of the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine and prohibit any federal department or agency from taking any action or extending any assistance that implies recognition of Russian claims over Ukraine.

• “There is no amount of propaganda or political scheming that can change the reality of what is happening in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is the real aggressor in this war, and he is attempting an unjustified takeover of a sovereign, democratic country. The United States cannot recognize Putin’s claims or we risk establishing a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes, like the Chinese Communist Party, to imitate.” — Senator Rubio

• “Putin’s threatened sham referendums reek of desperation. The world knows the war in Ukraine is a disaster and, increasingly, so do the Russian people, who are tired of their kids dying over Putin’s warped nostalgia for Soviet dystopia. Today’s bill reaffirms our commitment to the Ukrainian people and that the United States will never recognize sovereign Ukrainian territories as part of Russia.” — Senator Durbin

 
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), John Cornyn (R-TX), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Angus King (I-ME), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) are cosponsors of the legislation.