By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – A group of Democratic and Republican U.S. senators will introduce a resolution on Tuesday supporting Ukraine as it battles Russian invaders, hours before President Donald Trump was due to make his nationally televised State of the Union address to the nation.
The resolution was led by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Thom Tillis, who are co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group. It had at least 26 other co-sponsors, about evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, according to an early copy of the resolution seen by Reuters.
Other provisions include condolences for the loss of Ukrainian lives, commendation of Ukrainians’ bravery, encouragement of strong cooperation among NATO allies and a call for any negotiated settlement to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and “include Ukraine as the central party to discussions regarding its future.”
The resolution comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government faces mounting U.S. pressure to secure a peace deal. Although it does not have the force of law, it illustrates the strong support for the government in Kyiv from many in Washington, and its release on Tuesday sends a signal that lawmakers want more support for Ukraine from Trump.
Trump’s Tuesday night speech coincides with the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a reminder of a conflict that the Republican president has yet to end despite his past vow that he could stop it “in 24 hours.”
Members of Congress, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, have urged him to do more to help Zelenskiy’s government, including sending all of the financial and military aid they have authorized over the past several years.
Tuesday’s resolution was co-sponsored by Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Democratic Senators Michael Bennet, Richard Durbin, Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse and Tim Kaine.
Republican co-sponsors include former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Tillis, John Curtis, Chuck Grassley, Roger Wicker, Jerry Moran, Dave McCormick and Susan Collins.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee, Rod Nickel)
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