U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, participated in a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Senators Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, and John Cornyn. The session was titled “Strategic Investment: The Future of U.S.-Ukraine Security Cooperation.”
During the event, Senator Shaheen emphasized her support for enhancing Ukraine’s position in negotiations and stressed the importance of collaboration between the United States and Europe to counter Russian aggression. She stated, “I don’t think we should take NATO off the table… I think it’s important for us to have as much leverage for Ukraine as possible going into any kind of a negotiation.”
Shaheen highlighted bipartisan congressional backing for supplying weapons to Ukraine and maintaining NATO membership as an option. She also underscored the necessity of Ukraine’s involvement in any negotiations, referencing past missteps in Afghanistan.
She further remarked on Europe’s role in supporting sanctions against Russia: “The sanctions that we’ve put on Russia are a lot stronger if Europe is fully engaged… we’ve got to remember that it’s important for us to act together.”
Concluding her remarks, Shaheen reflected on the historical significance of transatlantic alliances: “The transatlantic alliance has been one of the longest relationships… I think it’s important to continue that.”
