Political Quotes

“Madam President, today, the Senate exercises one of our unique and most important constitutional responsibilities: debate and ratification of a treaty. The NATO accession treaty for Sweden and Finland is the most consequential kind of treaty because it commits America to the mutual defense of another country. We commit, along with our NATO partners, to come to Sweden's and Finland's defense if they are attacked, just as Finland and Sweden will come to our defense if we are attacked. It is a weighty matter, indeed. I want to explain why, if one honestly considers all the circumstances and weighs all the evidence, I don't believe this is a close debate at all. If Finland and Sweden join NATO, the alliance will unquestionably be stronger. The risk of war and of America being dragged into war will decrease in Europe, and Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine will backfire in another significant, lasting way. I note at the outset how unusual this moment is. Finland and Sweden are historically neutral countries. Sweden has refrained from joining military alliances since the days of Napoleon. Once Finland obtained independence a century ago, it also charted a course of neutrality, even after the Soviet Union invaded Finland during World War II. Now these historically neutral countries have petitioned to join NATO. Why? Sweden and, especially, Finland have always lived closer to the bear's den, and thus had a different relationship with Moscow than we do.…”