Thune to visit NATO nations with GOP delegation
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) plans to travel to Europe later this month with a delegation of Republican freshman senators.Their visits will include Denmark, norway, Finland, and Estonia, all NATO member countries. The trip comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia, especially related to the ongoing war in Ukraine and potential new sanctions on Russia, even though moves on legislation have so far been postponed at the White House’s request. This European trip coincides with other August recess congressional visits, including Speaker Mike Johnson’s controversial visit to Israel and a separate delegation led by Senator Roger Wicker to Taiwan. The travels reflect ongoing U.S.efforts to strengthen alliances amid complex international dynamics involving Russia, China, and the Middle East.
Thune to visit NATO nations with delegation of GOP freshmen
EXCLUSIVE — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will be traveling to Europe later this month with a delegation of Senate GOP freshmen.
The senators will be making stops in Denmark, Norway, and Finland, according to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), who disclosed the trip in a brief interview with the Washington Examiner. A spokesperson for Thune declined to comment on the travel plans, but one source familiar with the schedule said the visit also includes a stop in Estonia, while two sources confirmed the delegation is limited to the GOP freshmen and Thune.
The trip is significant, in part, for the countries where senators will be visiting. The travel coincides with increasingly strained relations between Washington and the Kremlin, and each is a member nation of NATO. Thune and most of the Senate are ready to move legislation to impose withering penalties on Russia over the war in Ukraine but have so far held off at the request of the White House.
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are planning to hold a summit as soon as next week.
Thune’s delegation to Europe coincides with other congressional travel organized for the August recess. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) traveled to Israel with a group of GOP lawmakers, drawing controversy for a reported visit to the West Bank.
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Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is set to lead a separate delegation to Taiwan, a trip that follows the administration’s decision to block Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te from making a brief stop in New York.
The Taiwan visit comes as Trump attempts to broker a new trade framework with Beijing, which claims territorial control over the island nation.
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