Nato
Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I hope that my remarks are even less.
I stand in solid support of the accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO. Just a few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to visit Lithuania. It is a country that means a lot to me and my family. I met with the former President Valdas Adamkus.
Adamkus, a Lithuanian immigrant to the United States, had a distinguished record in our government's service here and then returned to Lithuania after his retirement from the U.S. Federal Government and ran successfully for President.
He had the vision to realize that the future of Lithuania and the Baltic States was in the European Union and NATO and worked strenuously to achieve those goals, and I was happy to be joining him in that effort.
Now, this moment in history really complements his leadership because the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is a confirmation that the Baltic Sea is safer than ever when it comes to the West. If Vladimir Putin thought that by invading Ukraine he could somehow inhibit the future of NATO or in some way limit its future, the opposite has occurred.
NATO is stronger than ever. And the United States' commitment to NATO is stronger than ever. The fact that only a handful of Senators from either political party are even questioning the accession of Sweden and Finland are good indications to me that we have bipartisan support for this NATO coalition now more than ever--and we should, first, for the Ukrainians and, secondly, for the United States and its future.
Those who are speaking against the accession of Finland and Sweden suggest that we ought to focus our attention on Asia. Well, we cannot ignore Asia. It is an important part of our near-term future. And we have got to show strength throughout the world. Why don't we start right now? With this accession of Finland and Sweden, the strengthening of the NATO alliance says to any adversary of the United States, even to China and its future, that this country does business with other countries in the world on an arm's-length basis and a respectful basis and can deal with democracies in a constructive way in building their economies for the future.
I will gladly join in the support of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. I believe it not only strengthens that alliance when it comes to this war in Ukraine, it prepares us for challenges in the future, and it is the right thing for America's security.
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