US House of Representatives passes resolution calling for sanctions against Russia Tuesday March 11,2014

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday March 11,2014 passed a resolution condemning Russia‘s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and calling for Russian sanctions.

"This resolution is an important part of a larger effort to aid Ukraine and impose real costs on Russia," said Representative Ed Royce, a Republican from California and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., centre, speaks with Daleep Singh, deputy assistant Treasury Secretary for Europe and Eurasia, left, on Capitol Hill in Washington, prior to the start of the committee's hearing on American foreign policy toward Ukraine

Ed Royce called the resolution, which now goes to the Senate, "a very important declaration of support for the people of Ukraine during this crisis." It condemns "in clear and unmistakable terms" Russia‘s aggression.

The resolution affirms that the US has a strong interest in a democratic and prosperous Ukraine with its territorial integrity intact and calls for a number of actions, including:

• removal of all Russian military forces from Ukraine‘s Crimean peninsula other than those operating in accordance with its 1997 agreement regarding its Black Sea Fleet stationed there.

• deployment of independent monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Crimea and other areas of Ukraine.

• a suspension by NATO allies and European Union member states of military cooperation with Russia, including sales of military equipment

•  a boycott of the G8 summit in Sochi, Russia, by the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Britain and Japan.