U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking member of the minority on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, began her visit to the Western Balkans in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, where she was honored with the title of honorary citizen of Sarajevo.
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Shaheen is leading a delegation of the U.S. Congress that will also visit Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Kosovo during its stay in the region.
According to information published on the website of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the delegation, which also includes Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, will remain in the Western Balkans from October 6 to 13.
The exact date of Shaheen’s trip to Kosovo has not yet been announced.
During the visit, the senator is expected to hold meetings with government officials, members of the U.S. diplomatic personnel, civil society representatives and young people in leadership positions. The focus will be on regional security, strengthening democratic institutions, economic opportunities and relations with the United States.
This is Shaheen’s final visit as part of a U.S. congressional delegation in her role as the senior minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Shaheen, who is a Democratic senator, was named the “Honorary Citizen of the City of Sarajevo” for 2025.
Sarajevo authorities said the recognition was awarded for her years-long support for and commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for her contribution to strengthening ties between Bosnia and the United States.
The citation for the honor states that throughout her political career, Shaheen has worked to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has also supported the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Balkan country.
The award was presented to her by Sarajevo Mayor Samir Avdiq at a ceremony held in the Sarajevo municipality.
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen speaks after receiving the “Honorary Citizen of the City of Sarajevo” award on October 7, 2026.
During her political career, Shaheen has visited Bosnia and Herzegovina several times.
The U.S. senator, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has for years warned of threats to security in the Western Balkans and called for greater U.S. involvement in this part of Europe.
Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, she has repeatedly expressed her support for the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and multiethnic composition. In her view, a continued American and international presence is essential to maintaining stability.
In February of this year, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Shaheen led the delegation of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in meetings with Bosnian Presidency member Denis Beqiroviq and the then international envoy to Bosnia, Christian Schmidt.
At the time, she expressed concern over the rhetoric and separatist actions of the former president of Republika Srpska, Millorad Dodik.
According to Shaheen, Dodik’s actions threatened the Dayton Peace Agreement and the stability of the region.
Last October, the United States lifted its sanctions on Dodik, Bosnian Presidency member Zhelka Cvijanoviq, and several members of Dodik’s family.
In an interview with RFE/RL, Shaheen said that Russia has an interest in destabilizing the Western Balkans, which Moscow considers “a possible second front.”
She stressed that the United States must ensure that Russia understands that U.S. forces in the region “are on high alert and are monitoring what is happening.”
Speaking about the risk of destabilization that could involve Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia, the senator said that “it concerns the connection between Serbia and the Serbs in (Bosnia’s entity of) Republika Srpska and Russia, as well as Russia’s interest in destabilizing the region.”
“Russia sees this as a possible second front, and we must do everything we can to preserve stability in the region. We must also make it clear that our military is monitoring the situation very closely,” said Shaheen, who is also co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group.
Referring to NATO’s presence in Kosovo and the EUFOR mission in Bosnia, she emphasized: “We must ensure that the Russians know that these forces are on high alert and are monitoring what is happening.”
Shaheen said the United States should work to contain Russian hybrid warfare wherever possible.
“This is not only in America’s interest, but also in the interest of our European allies,” she added.
Asked about Russia’s activities along NATO’s eastern flank, the senator said that Russian hybrid warfare is not limited to that area and that Serbia is used by Moscow as a “transit point.”
