As she noted at a Senate hearing, countries such as Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia must continue to reverse Russia's evil activities by stepping up the necessary democratic reforms to reflect the will of the people and bring them closer to the transatlantic community.

According to the Georgian Service of the Voice of America, Senator Shaheen also said that the Black Sea was the hot spot of rivalry between Russia and the West in terms of transatlantic expansion.

"Russia has a history of war, illegal tactics and aggression to strengthen control in the region and prevent NATO representation on its southern borders. In 2008, Russia launched a war against Georgia and illegally seized the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, sparking a separatist uprising in the Donbas region. This is a conflict that continues and is takes the lives of innocent Ukrainians on a daily basis," Senator Shaheen said.

The Senator believes that Russia has always been ready to use economic, military and political power to stop NATO enlargement and strengthen control over the Black Sea. According to her, she clearly saw examples of Russia's evil intentions during her visit to Ukraine and Georgia in June.

"Russia's evil intentions became apparent earlier this summer, when Senator Murphy and I visited Ukraine and Georgia. We have seen the ongoing borderization by Russia and hostile actions against Georgia.

The Transatlantic Alliance, which has maintained world order for more than 70 years, has played a key role in responding to Russia's military behavior since the annexation of Crimea. NATO has successfully strengthened its support for our Eastern European allies. The Sea Breeze is an annual exercise involving NATO allies and partners and sends an important message of solidarity to our Black Sea Allies," the Senator said.

However, the senator believes that NATO's response to the Black Sea issues requires more coordination and political unity, as transatlantic relations are key to fighting Russian aggression.