Political Quotes

“Madam President, the September 18 New York Times, the Finnish leader, President Niinisto--now serving his second term--made an historic decision to ask for membership in NATO. He is a wonderful man; he is on a second term and is extremely popular in his country. And he asked to join the NATO alliance so that it could stand up against Putin. He reminds us in this article that Finland has a great experience with its neighbor Russia and an 830-mile border with the Russian leadership. He recalls ``Finland's numerous wars with Moscow, including the 1939 Winter War and World War II, when the Finns fought off the Soviets but had to cede some territory, Mr. Niinisto said European countries that let down their defenses after the collapse of the Soviet Union made a grave mistake.'' And so he has asked to join the alliance. I was at a meeting with President Niinisto, and he said he picked up the phone one day and called Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It is hard to imagine, isn't it? But he said: I told him, point-blank, I am joining the NATO alliance. Putin said: You don't have to. I am not going to invade your country. He said: I can't trust you anymore after what you have done to Ukraine. That is a message that Zelenskyy was delivering last night on ``60 Minutes.'' I want to make clear on the floor: Putin is not going to stop his ambition to acquire other countries, and there are many that are in fragile, dangerous situations.…”