WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered an opening statement at a full committee hearing, “NATO Summit 2025: An Assessment of Transatlantic Security Cooperation.” In her remarks, Ranking Member Shaheen discussed her upcoming trip to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit where she will underscore America’s bipartisan support for NATO and its mission.
You can watch her opening remarks here.
“A recent Pew Research poll found nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults see a benefit to NATO membership. Our European allies feel the same,” said Ranking Member Shaheen. “Despite the rhetoric and the trade practices from this Administration, our allies continue to recognize NATO’s value—perhaps now more than ever.”
Ranking Member Shaheen also emphasized the need to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine and expressed concern for the President’s continued lenience towards Putin.
“As NATO Secretary General Rutte has said, ‘We are all on the eastern flank now,'" she continued. “The reality of this shared vulnerability is clear. If Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there. He’s already sent troops into Belarus and threatens the Balkans, the Baltic states and the Black Sea. And Russia’s ambitions also continue to play out over our own borders—through the Kremlin’s repeated attacks on our financial institutions and energy infrastructure.”
The Ranking Member’s remarks, as delivered, are below.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and I’d like to welcome to both of our witnesses today. We appreciate your willingness to sit through our business meeting while we wait for your testimony.
I want to actually begin by going to a different region of the world and expressing my concern about the conflict between Israel and Iran. Because the exchange of missile attacks not only endangers our partners in the region, but also the safety of American service members, diplomats and their families. And I asked Secretary Hegseth about this at an earlier hearing. We have 40,000 troops in the region, many of whom are in range of Iranian missiles and he was not at all clear about what we’re doing to protect those servicemembers. Mr. Chairman, I hope that we will ask the Administration on the part of this committee for a briefing on what’s going on in this area.
[Risch: Thank you, we talked about that and we’re going to try to make that happen. That’s a legitimate request.]
One of the things that this conflict does is it makes the upcoming NATO summit—and the need for international partners, as the Chairman has said—even more consequential. As co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, I will be attending the summit along with Senator Tillis, and we hope to have a good bipartisan delegation from the Senate.
That support is reflected here at home. A recent Pew Research poll found nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults see a benefit to NATO membership. Our European allies feel the same. Despite the rhetoric and the trade practices from this Administration, our allies continue to recognize NATO’s value—perhaps now more than ever. According to official figures, 23 out of NATO’s 32 member states currently meet or exceed the defense spending threshold of 2%. And as the Chairman said, I certainly agree with him in hoping that out of the summit will come an agreement to adopt 5% as the new defense spending target at the Hague Summit. And in fact, Sweden and the Netherlands just announced plans to spend 5% of GDP on defense. And these increases are not the result of trade policies or tariffs, they are a direct response to Russian aggression, to Vladimir Putin’s willingness to lay waste to Ukraine.
As NATO Secretary General Rutte has said, ‘We are all on the eastern flank now.’ The reality of this shared vulnerability is clear. If Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there. He’s already sent troops into Belarus and threatens the Balkans, the Baltic states and the Black Sea. And Russia’s ambitions also continue to play out over our own borders—through the Kremlin’s repeated attacks on our financial institutions and energy infrastructure. That’s why I don’t understand the Administration’s continued refusal to lower the price cap for Russian oil sanctions at the G7. It would have put more pressure on Putin. I think Congress needs to act. And we have legislation supported by 82 members of the Senate that would put in place additional sanctions on Vladimir Putin. I think we should get that done as soon as possible. I also think that we shouldn’t stop there, and NATO membership should be on the table for Ukraine. NATO’s Open Door Policy, enshrined in the Washington Treaty, should not be up for negotiation to satisfy what Vladimir Putin wants. But its membership should determine who has the opportunity to get into the alliance and Ukraine’s membership would strengthen that. They have the largest army in Europe, the most experienced army in Europe at this point.
And we’re developing cutting-edge countermeasures based on Ukraine’s real-time experience against Russian systems. We should not forget the power of alliances in taking on adversaries like Russia or Iran or others. As Senator Risch has rightly said, the NATO alliance is ‘the most successful political and defensive organization that’s ever been on the face of the planet.’ I agree with that, and I hope our witnesses today can speak to the full picture for NATO: the challenges NATO should address at this year’s summit, as well as the opportunities and advantages that NATO offers each of its members.
So, I very much look forward to hearing your thoughts and to our discussion. Thank you.
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