SENATE RESOLUTION
8673
By Senators Salomon, Fortunato, Valdez, Van De Wege, Lovick, Pedersen, Hansen,
Padden, Braun, Boehnke, Cleveland, Wagoner, Liias, Hunt, Hasegawa, Billig, Randall,
Wellman, Schoesler, Short, Gildon, Mullet, Shewmake, Saldaña, Kuderer, Stanford,
and Holy
1 WHEREAS, The people of Washington state and the people of Ukraine
2 share a commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, Washington state is home to over 80,000 people with
5 Ukrainian heritage and one of the largest populations of Ukrainian
6 immigrants among the 50 states; and
7 WHEREAS, Many Ukrainians immigrated to Washington state fleeing
8 Soviet persecution for their beliefs and seeking personal and
9 religious freedoms in the United States; and
10 WHEREAS, The state of Washington has welcomed over 20,000
11 Ukrainians since February of 2022 and continues to be a welcoming
12 state; and
13 WHEREAS, Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans in Washington state
14 have enriched our communities through their leadership and
15 contributions in agriculture, business, academia, government, and the
16 arts; and
17 WHEREAS, On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale
18 aggression against Ukraine, in an escalation of the war unleashed in
19 2014, which became the largest attack on a European nation since
20 World War II; and
21 WHEREAS, This war on Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of
22 Ukrainian servicemembers and civilians, displaced millions of
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 1 Ukrainians, and has caused an urgent international humanitarian
2 crisis; and
3 WHEREAS, President Putin has denied the existence of Ukraine
4 and seeks to overthrow the democratically elected government of
5 Ukraine; and
6 WHEREAS, The people of Ukraine are now engaged in a war to
7 defend their independence and democratic path of development and
8 lives;
9 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State
10 Senate recognize the democratic values shared by the people of
11 Washington state and the people of Ukraine; and
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate
13 express its deepest sympathies for all Ukrainian Americans,
14 especially those with loved ones in harm's way; and
15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate
16 condemn the unprovoked Russian war against Ukraine and reiterate
17 its support for peace, diplomacy, and an immediate end to the
18 Russian invasion; and
19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate
20 commend the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people in
21 their pursuit of sovereignty and democracy and reaffirm its
22 support of Ukrainian citizens here in Washington state and
23 abroad.
24 I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate,
25 do hereby certify that this is a true and
26 correct copy of Senate Resolution 8673,
27 adopted by the Senate
28 February 14, 2024
29 SARAH BANNISTER
30 Secretary of the Senate
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