THE HAGUE – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-Chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, and Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine ahead of the NATO Summit.
During the meeting, Senator Shaheen and Senator Coons conveyed the deep bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress and among the American people. The Senators also expressed unyielding admiration for the courage and innovation of Ukrainian soldiers fighting for the freedom and security of their country, Europe and our shared transatlantic values.
Both Senator Shaheen and Senator Coons highlighted the need to formalize strategic partnerships between America and Ukraine’s defense industrial base – noting that America can benefit greatly from Ukraine’s innovation, battlefield lessons and cutting-edge defense systems.
Senator Shaheen and Senator Coons also stressed the importance of President Trump tightening sanctions on Russia to finally bring President Putin to the negotiating table, including by moving on the Graham-Blumenthal bill which has 82 bipartisan sponsors in the Senate.
The Senators also noted the importance of combatting Russian aggression to contain its malign partners like Iran and North Korea, and to send a clear deterrent message to the People’s Republic of China.
###