WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, had a virtual meeting on the Russianmilitary threat to Eastern Europe with Ambassadors from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the Deputy Chief of Mission from Poland’s embassy, and bipartisan members of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus and the Senate NATO Observer Group. Given their proximity to Ukraine and Russia and their NATO membership, coordination is key to supporting Ukraine, defending Eastern Europe from Russian aggression, and bolstering democracy throughout the region.
“The meeting with Ambassadors from our Eastern European allies was an important conversation reaffirming the Senate’s support for the NATO alliance. As Putin moves Russian troops along the Ukrainian border with every indication they will invade in the coming weeks, it is critical the United States and our NATO allies stand together to resist Putin’s latest aggression,” said Senator Tillis. “As co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, I will work with Senator Shaheen to do whatever we can to show bipartisan support for our Eastern European allies and make it crystal clear that any Russian hostility will be met with a strong response against Putin and his regime.”
Tillis serves as co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, which was re-established in 2018. The group has an expanded mission to closely monitor and inform Senators outside of national security committees about defense spending commitments of Alliance members, the process of upgrading military capabilities, the Alliance’s counter-terrorism capability, NATO enlargement and the ability of NATO member states to address non-conventional warfare. Tillis and Shaheen released a joint statement in December on the buildup of Russian military forces along Ukraine’s border, as well as sent a letter with fellow members of the Senate NATO Observer Group to President Biden urging him to use diplomatic talks at the NATO-Russia Council meeting to deter Putin from further invading Ukraine and communicate that the United States will not accept Putin’s demands to dictate NATO’s decision-making.
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