Bipartisan CODEL McCain Delegation Returns from Munich Security Conference After Meeting with American Allies

02.20.24

Bipartisan CODEL McCain Delegation Returns from Munich Security Conference After Meeting with American Allies

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), co-leads of a bipartisan Senate delegation to the Munich Security Conference, have returned to the United States after two days of meetings with America's transatlantic allies. The Whitehouse-Sullivan delegation is called "CODEL McCain" in honor of the late Republican Senator John McCain, who led the American congressional delegation to the conference for many years.

Whitehouse and Sullivan led members of the delegation in bilateral meetings with world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"I thank Senator Sullivan for his partnership in this year's delegation to Munich, which demonstrated American bipartisanship to our allies," said Whitehouse. "The news on our first day in Germany of Alexei Navalny's death in Russian custody, and the war briefing from President Zelenskyy, showed how high America's stakes are in Ukraine's fight for freedom. The supplemental must pass, as must the REPO Act, which enjoys growing alignment among our transatlantic alliance."

The bipartisan Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act would allow seizure of Russian sovereign assets now frozen, and dedicate them to rebuilding Ukraine. The lead sponsors are Whitehouse and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), who also attended the Munich Security Conference. The Foreign Relations Committee passed the legislation last month.

In addition to bilateral meetings, Whitehouse participated in sessions on reconstruction in Ukraine, combatting kleptocracy and international corruption, defending democracy against authoritarianism, and the national security dangers posed by climate change. A panel discussion on combatting corruption that Whitehouse participated in can be viewed here.

In addition to Whitehouse and Sullivan, CODEL McCain included Senators Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).

The Munich Security Conference is widely considered the world's leading forum for international security policy and provides a venue to cooperatively address the world's most pressing security concerns. The Conference brings together nearly five hundred high-level decisionmakers from around the world, including heads of state, legislators, ministers, leaders of international organizations and non-governmental organizations, as well as prominent figures in business, media, research, and civil society.

The conference was held from Friday, February 16 through Sunday, February 18.

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