WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, concluded a bipartisan congressional delegation to the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Joining Tillis and Shaheen were Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Angus King (I-ME), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE).
Senator Tillis meeting troops from North Carolina at the Pabrad? Training Area, where they visited members of the rotational U.S. Army battalion stationed at the camp.
Senator Tillis meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson following Türkiye’s decision to back Sweden’s bid for NATO membership.
Watch Senator Tillis speak at the NATO Public Forum HERE.
“The 2023 NATO Summit was an important opportunity to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the NATO Alliance as we face continued aggression from Russia in Ukraine, provocation from China, and other rising threats,” said Senator Tillis. “After many successful meetings, it is clear that Russia’s aggression has unified our allies and partners against the threat to democracy, and as co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, I was proud to work with Senator Shaheen and my colleagues to show the Senate’s commitment to that effort. With Sweden’s imminent accession to NATO after this meeting, the Alliance will only continue to grow more unified, and it is more important than ever that the partner nations commit to reaching the two percent goals with the United States so we can continue to bolster and strengthen the Alliance.”
Tillis and Shaheen lead bipartisan efforts in the Senate in support of the transatlantic Alliance, and specifically around Finland and Sweden's accession into NATO. Earlier this month, Tillis and Shaheen co-led a resolution with Senators Durbin and Grassley underscoring the top priorities for the U.S. Senate ahead of the Vilnius Summit, including countering China, responding to Putin's aggression in the Black Sea region and ensuring Sweden's formal accession. Tillis and Shaheen led the U.S. delegation to the NATO Summit in Madrid last year, and previously traveled together to the NATO Summit in Brussels in 2018.
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