Wagner Leads Bipartisan NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation to Luxembourg

Washington, D.C.  – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, released the following statement after her recent Congressional Delegation visit to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Luxembourg:

“Our delegation made it clear to our NATO allies they must maintain and even exceed their nations’ NATO defense commitments of two percent of GDP spending so we can advance our shared priority of a secure and stable region.  Much progress has been made since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and I am glad our allies realize the urgent need to step up and make significant investments in European security.

“The United States has made incredibly generous and necessary contributions to the response against the Russian war on Ukraine so far, and we are working to make sure everyone does their part. The recent accession to NATO of Finland, who we were glad to welcome in bilateral engagements, will only add to Europe’s collective security. We are hopeful Sweden and others join soon.  Our European friends understand this is their backyard and they have a responsibility to push back against Russian aggression.

“We had productive bilateral meetings with our host country of Luxembourg, Finland, and Kosovo, and had the honor to be received by the Luxembourg Prime Minister.  We discussed new threats to NATO interests, especially our concerns with China’s aggressiveness and increasing willingness to support Vladimir Putin.  As the former Ambassador to Luxembourg, and in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked and unwarranted invasion of Ukraine, I can tell you just how vital it is that Europe continues to strongly support Ukraine with economic, military, and humanitarian assistance so Putin and his cronies are defeated and sent back to Russia where they belong.”

Click here for photos of the Delegation and here for a Congressional Record statement on the visit.

Background

Congresswoman Wagner and the U.S. Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly went to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, for the Spring Session of the Assembly, where they pushed NATO allies bilaterally and collectively to hold the line in support of Ukraine and increase their contributions to the defense of Europe.  The Members met with Luxembourg’s Minister of Defense, Minister of Finance, and Prime Minster.  Additionally, the Members took part in bilateral engagements to welcome Finland to NATO and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to ongoing talks between Kosovo and Serbia.

Congresswoman Wagner sits on the NATO PA’s Political Committee, where she was appointed Vice-Chair of the Transatlantic Relations Subcommittee, and the Democracy and Security Committee.

The Political Committee has jurisdiction over NATO’s partnerships with critical non-NATO partners in the Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia; enlargement of NATO; coordination with international organizations; and emerging security threats. At the Spring Session, the Committee considered reports that will:

• Inform NATO activities in support of Ukraine in its fight against Russia
• Lay out a path to NATO membership for Bosnia, Georgia, Sweden
• Recommend ways the NATO alliance can prepare for threats emanating from the People’s Republic of China and limit Russia-China coordination.

The Democracy and Security Committee covers human rights; democratic institutions and rule of law; the integration of post-Soviet countries and NATO partners into Western institutions; ethnic and frozen conflicts in Georgia, Moldova, the Balkans, and Ukraine; counterpropaganda, and counterterrorism. The Committee drafted reports that will advise NATO countries on:

• Ensuring food security and punishing Russia’s efforts to use hunger as a weapon of war
• Holding Russia accountable for egregious human rights violations and crimes against humanity, including genocide
• Insulating NATO allies from Russian propaganda