THE HAGUE – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-Chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of the NATO Summit.
During the meeting, Senator Shaheen underscored the deep and bipartisan support for NATO in the Senate and the American people. Senator Shaheen stressed the importance of maintaining strong support for Ukraine, including through sustained security and financial assistance. Senators Shaheen and Coons also discussed the importance of deepening the capacity of defense industrial bases on both sides of the Atlantic and strengthening transatlantic supply chains. Senator Shaheen noted her concern that President Trump’s tariffs have hampered efforts among Allies to rearm by raising costs and slowing production lines.
Both Senators also reiterated the urgency for President Trump to ratchet up sanctions on Russia to bring Putin to the negotiating table. The Senators also advocated their strong support for the Graham-Blumenthal bill, which has 82 bipartisan sponsors in the Senate. Senator Coons noted that we must continue to the pressure the PRC and other actors to halt their support for Russia’s rearmament.
Senator Shaheen also raised the continued importance of maintaining NATO’s Women, Peace and Security initiatives to strengthen NATO’s core tasks and support the inclusion of women servicemembers in our militaries.
###