WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined WGIR and WKBK radio in New Hampshire, where she criticized the Trump Administration’s decision to halt arms shipments to Ukraine. During the interviews, Ranking Member Shaheen warned that failure in Ukraine would embolden adversaries like China and diminish America’s ability to lead on the world stage. She emphasized that withholding military aid at a moment when Russia is escalating its attacks not only endangers Ukrainian lives, but also undermines U.S. credibility worldwide and makes it harder to bring Putin to the negotiating table to finally end this war.
Click HERE to listen to Ranking Member Shaheen’s interview with WGIR.
Key Quotes from Ranking Member Shaheen:
On WGIR, Ranking Member Shaheen said: “Let me just also say how disappointed I am that the administration has stopped the arms shipments to Ukraine at a time when they are being pummeled by Russian drones and explosions. I think it's the worst possible time to be cutting back on those weapons. And it's disappointing to see that after the positive meeting between Donald Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy at the NATO Summit that he would take this action.”
When asked why the Administration may be pulling back support, Ranking Member Shaheen said: “I think there are a couple of individuals within the administration who don't support the war in Ukraine and don't understand the connection between success there and what happens with China in the future. And I think they are just misguided and have no idea what they're doing.”
Ranking Member Shaheen added: “I think one of those individuals is the Secretary of Defense. The other is a man named Bridge Colby who is in the Department of Defense. And I think they, as I said, don't understand the connection between what happens in Ukraine and what happens with China in the future.”
On WKBK, Ranking Member Shaheen expanded: “Well, I think that decision was made by the Secretary of Defense and the head of policy within the Department of Defense, both of whom seem to not understand the impact of the war in Ukraine on all the other conflicts that are affecting our own national security. I find it very distressing, particularly given the positive meeting that President Trump and President Zelenskyy had when they were at the NATO Summit.”
On broader implications for U.S. foreign policy, Ranking Member Shaheen said: “This sends a message to not just our allies, like Ukraine and our European allies, but it sends a message to our adversaries, to China, to North Korea, to Russia, that our allies can't count on the United States after we committed to that, and that's a very bad message for our own national security.”
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