Shaheen & Tillis, Co-Chairs of Senate NATO Observer Group, Reaffirm Bipartisan Support for Poland and Transatlantic Alliance

Joint Statement from Shaheen and Tillis, who co-chair the Senate NATO Observer Group which they restarted in 2018, comes amid reports of missiles crossing into Poland and killing two civilians.

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, issued the following joint statement in response to reports that missiles landed in Poland, a NATO ally, killing two civilians:

“We offer our sincere condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives today, and we stand in unequivocal support of our Polish and NATO allies,” said Shaheen and Tillis. “As we wait for additional information on the source of these missiles, we reaffirm unwavering bipartisan commitment in the U.S. Senate for the transatlantic Alliance. This deadly incident comes on the heels of another brutal barrage of Russian missile strikes targeting Ukrainian critical infrastructure today – a reminder of Putin’s reckless and unchecked war. So long as Putin’s war against Ukraine continues, broader European security will remain under threat. Congress stands ready to support Poland and all other NATO allies to ensure our collective security is guaranteed – that is a core and sacred tenet of our treaty. We must stand by our NATO allies as they’ve always stood by us.”

As co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, Shaheen and Tillis have led action in the U.S. Senate to support NATO enlargement and ensure continued U.S. support for Ukraine. Senator Shaheen and Senator Tillis co-led a bipartisan delegation in June to the NATO Summit in Madrid, in addition to stops in Sweden and Finland, to affirm strong bipartisan Senate support for their NATO membership aspirations. Also a member of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, Senator Shaheen has led action in the Senate in support of Ukraine in response to Putin’s belligerence. Earlier this year, Shaheen and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) led a bipartisan delegation to Ukraine, where they met with President Zelenskyy and members of his administration. Before the Shaheen-Portman congressional delegation visit to Ukraine in January, Shaheen led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, last June.