Political Quotes

“Madam President, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization turned 70 last month. Congressional leaders invited NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to deliver an address before a joint meeting of Congress to mark the historic occasion. The Secretary General began his speech with a vivid description of two monuments outside of the organization's headquarters in Belgium-- one, a piece of the Berlin Wall and the other, a twisted steel beam from the north tower of the World Trade Center. Both serve a special purpose as powerful reminders for NATO members of where we have been and are going and our commitment to one another. The United States and our transatlantic allies have seen the world change considerably during the seven decades of NATO's existence. The threat posed by the Soviet Union--one of the main reasons the alliance was formed--no longer exists, but the challenge of an increasing and hostile Russia has now taken its place. Since Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Vladimir Putin has stepped up his acts of aggression by arming pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine, carrying out bombing campaigns on behalf of a murderous regime in Syria, and conducting cyber attacks on Western democracies. Russia continues to seize land and expand its presence in Georgia, illegally occupying roughly 20 percent of Georgia's internationally recognized territory. On top of this, Russia has deployed mobile, nuclear-capable missiles in Europe.…”