Reed: NATO Partners Have Unified Under Biden’s Leadership, Addressing Shared Security Challenges and Making America Stronger & Safer
SASC Chairman meets with world leaders and diplomats this week, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at NATO summit in Washington, DC
WASHINGTON, DC — Founded in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed by a dozen founding nations, including the United States, to counter shared security threats, halt the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe, and stand as a bulwark for freedom and global stability.
This week, during the 75th anniversary of NATO’s founding, leaders from 32 NATO countries are convening in Washington, DC for a three-day NATO summit that further underscores the alliance’s enduring support for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, participated in a series of high-level meetings this week with his counterparts from NATO member nations allies, as well as senior diplomats and heads of state, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Today, Senator Reed issued the following statement:
“For 75 years, NATO has served America’s security interests well. The transatlantic alliance has been a bulwark against tyranny and a force for global security, stability, and prosperity.
“President Biden deserves credit for rebuilding and galvanizing NATO. Thanks in large part to his leadership, the NATO military alliance is more united and more powerful today than it was just a few years ago. But it also faces new threats and challenges, and this summit is not just a celebration of the past, but an opportunity to strategically plan for the future and ensure effective coordination and cooperation among our allies.
“NATO members continue to demonstrate solidarity and an increasing commitment to improving readiness of their forces and integrating new technologies and infrastructure. Our allies are working diligently to modernize across all elements of military power, including investing in force structure, cutting-edge technologies, and the implementation of the Alliance’s historic new regional defense plans.
“There can be no doubt: the security of the United States and Europe is deeply intertwined and it is in our shared interest to help keep the free world safe from unlawful invasions like Russia’s appalling war against on Ukraine.
“Vladimir Putin unconvincingly and unsuccessfully tried to blame NATO for his illegal invasion of Russia. He’s compared himself to Peter the Great and made it clear he wants to ‘return’ Ukrainian lands, people, and resources to his control and subjugation.
“When Vladimir Putin ordered the bloody assault on Ukraine, he hoped to fracture the NATO alliance and undermine Europe’s stability and prosperity. Two and a half years later, NATO solidarity has been strengthened; two new members – Sweden and Finland – have joined NATO; and NATO countries are reducing their dependence on Russian oil and gas. Moreover, our NATO allies are resolute in delivering powerful financial, civil, and military tools to help Ukrainians defend themselves from Putin’s illegal invasion.
“This is a critical point in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, as well as NATO’s leadership on the global stage. America and our fellow NATO allies must continue to stand together and support the Ukrainian people.
“NATO is a defensive coalition of willing, free democracies that recognize and respect the sovereignty of other nations. NATO must continue to stand with free countries that exercise their democratic rights to elect their own leaders and live freely in peace. And engaged U.S. leadership under NATO’s umbrella is critical to America’s security, prosperity, and the future of democracy itself.”
