Political Quotes

“last week I returned from 3 days in Poland and Latvia. I participated in the global security forum in Wroclaw, Poland, where I met with key foreign leaders from Eastern Europe in particular. I also visited U.S. and allied forces participating in military exercises in Latvia. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the West is confronted by an armed aggressor directly challenging the principle of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. European officials I spoke with see Russian President Vladimir Putin as opportunistic, determined to expand Russia's sphere of influence, and ready to exploit any vulnerabilities in nearby European countries. Our friends on the frontlines in Central and Eastern Europe want more than words of solidarity from the European Union, NATO, and the United States; they want a more robust response and concrete actions to counter the Russian threat and deter further Russian aggression. The crucible for this effort must come in Ukraine. With the Euromaidan Revolution of 2013 and the subsequent election of President Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian people have made it clear that their future is with the West, with democracy, with responsive and transparent governance. President Putin responded by invading eastern Ukraine, annexing Crimea, and destabilizing the entire Ukrainian State. Ukraine today is a symbol of democratic Europe's resistance to Russian domination in the same way that Berlin was in 1948.…”