ICYMI: Shaheen, Ricketts Spoke at Atlantic Council About Ongoing War in Ukraine, Regional Dynamics Across Central Europe
(Washington, DC) — U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, participated in a conversation, “Leadership and Resilience on Europe’s Frontlines,” as part of the Atlantic Council’s 2023 Central Europe Week. During the event, which was moderated by Fred Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, the Senators discussed the United States’ continued support to Ukraine as well as additional national security issues impacting Central Europe, such as the war in Gaza and the impact of Russia and China’s malign influence across Central Europe. You can watch the event here.
“Central Europe has really stepped up, like the United States and all of our NATO allies, to support Ukraine against this brutal war against Russia,” said Shaheen. “[Winning the war] is not just about Putin. Our other adversaries are watching very closely what we do here. You can bet President Xi in China is watching what the United States and our allies do.”
The Atlantic Council is a nonpartisan organization that urges U.S. leadership and engagement in the world to shape solutions to global challenges, along with allies and partners.
Senator Shaheen is a leading voice in U.S.-European relations. Shaheen has led multiple bipartisan delegations to Ukraine and met with President Zelenskyy and members of his Cabinet. In October, Senator Shaheen led a congressional delegation with Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) to the Western Balkans to engage with partners amid continued Russian interference and to convey support for their Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Shaheen leads legislation in the U.S. Senate to address a U.S. strategy toward key political regions in Europe to bolster European security and transatlantic unity. In October, Shaheen and Ricketts chaired a subcommittee hearing on implementation of the Department of State’s strategy on security in the Black Sea region. As chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee that oversees U.S. policy towards Europe, Shaheen is a leading policymaker on efforts in defense of democracies around the globe amid Putin’s efforts to destabilize the continent. Shaheen also led on the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, which was signed into law, and establishes a military lend-lease program to enhance security assistance to Ukraine.
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