BySenators Salomon, Padden, Pedersen, Braun, Lovick, King, Liias, Rivers, Warnick, L. Wilson, Billig, Dhingra, Shewmake, Kuderer, Conway, Nobles, Hasegawa, Hunt, Gildon, Boehnke, Wagoner, Valdez, Van De Wege, Stanford, C. Wilson, Cleveland, Wellman, Mullet, Trudeau, Randall, Saldaña, Lovelett, Kauffman, Torres, Hawkins, Dozier, Fortunato, and Muzzall

WHEREAS, The people of Washington State and the people of Ukraine share a commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; and

WHEREAS, Washington State is home to over 80,000 people with Ukrainian heritage and one of the largest populations of Ukrainian immigrants among the 50 states; and

WHEREAS, Many Ukrainians immigrated to Washington State fleeing Soviet persecution for their beliefs and seeking personal and religious freedoms in the United States; and

WHEREAS, In 2022, Washington residents submitted the fourth highest number of applications to support temporarily displaced Ukrainian people, with Seattle being the 3rd ranking metropolitan area; and

WHEREAS, The state of Washington has welcomed over 12,000 Ukrainians since February of 2022 and continues to be a welcoming state; and

WHEREAS, Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans in Washington State have enriched our communities through their leadership and contributions in agriculture, business, academia, government, and the arts; and

WHEREAS, On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin abandoned diplomacy and international pleas for peace and launched an unprovoked, full scale military invasion of Ukraine; and

WHEREAS, This attack on Ukraine has already killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian servicemembers and civilians, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and has caused an urgent international humanitarian crisis; and

WHEREAS, President Putin has denied the existence of Ukraine and apparently seeks to overthrow the democratically elected government of Ukraine; and

WHEREAS, The people of Ukraine are now engaged in war to defend their independence and democratic path of development and lives;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize the democratic values shared by the people of Washington State and the people of Ukraine; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate express its deepest sympathies for all Ukrainian Americans, especially those with loved ones in harm's way; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate condemn the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and reiterate its support for peace, diplomacy, and an immediate end to the invasion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate encourage the people of Washington State to support Ukrainian Americans and the people of Ukraine in their urgent time of need.