Shaheen Leads Bipartisan Resolution to Support Ukrainian Women on the Frontlines of the Humanitarian Crisis & War Efforts against Russia

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today led a bipartisan group of women Senators in a resolution to recognize women's roles in all aspects of the defense of Ukraine and the preservation of Ukraine's freedom. The resolution recognizes that women are often the targets of deliberate violence during conflicts, which is evident through Russia's deliberate attacks on maternity wards and use of rape as a weapon of war. This resolution calls on all countries to provide aid to refugees and support women in Ukraine who are keeping families and children safe, delivering supplies and weapons, administering medical care, fighting as part of the armed forces and more.

"Women are on the frontlines helping to hold Ukraine together amid Russia's unconscionable and unprovoked war. Spearheaded by women in the Senate and across bipartisan lines, this resolution sends a powerful message that we stand with Ukrainian women who are leading the on-the-ground response -- from defending territory as fighters to delivering life-saving medical care to administering humanitarian aid and crossing borders to ensure the safety of children and the elderly," said Shaheen. "The U.S. and international community must continue to address the unique needs of women amid this war and humanitarian crisis, while advocating for women's participation in conflict resolution talks. This bipartisan resolution reaffirms U.S. support for the women of Ukraine who are putting their lives on the line every day to defend Ukraine's freedom against the tyranny and brutality of Russia."

The bipartisan resolution is also cosponsored by Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

Text of the resolution is available here.

Shaheen has led action in the U.S. Senate in support of Ukraine in response to Vladimir Putin's belligerence against Ukraine, which also threatens the stability and security of Eastern Europe and NATO allies. In January, Shaheen and Portman led a bipartisan delegation to Ukraine, where they met with President Zelenskyy and members of his administration. In February, Shaheen led a successful bipartisan effort with Portman to pass a resolution that conveys a renewed and overwhelmingly bipartisan message from the U.S. Senate in fierce support of Ukraine. Last month, she met with Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, and members of the Ukrainian Rada and Polish parliament -- most of whom were women -- to discuss the ongoing military crisis in Ukraine following Putin's invasion. That followed a meeting she co-hosted earlier last month with Senate Majority Whip Durbin with key European Ambassadors. Shaheen is the author of the Women, Peace and Security Act, which was signed into law in 2017 and ensures women's leadership roles in conflict resolution and peace negotiations.

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