President Joe Biden made a forceful case for peace through strength as NATO members gathered Tuesday in Washington for an annual meeting of the long-enduring security alliance as it faces what may be the biggest test of its 75-year history.
Biden launches NATO summit with sober warning and appeal for peace through strength
President Joe Biden made a forceful case for peace through strength as NATO members gathered Tuesday in Washington for an annual meeting of the long-enduring security alliance as it faces what may be the biggest test of its 75-year history.
“It’s good that we’re stronger than ever,” Biden said, speaking at the beginning of the three-day summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which he is hosting in Washington. “Because this moment in history calls for our collective strength.
“Autocrats want to overturn global order, which has, by and large, [been] kept for nearly 80 years and counting. Terrorist groups continue to plot evil schemes, to cause mayhem and chaos and suffering. In Europe, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues.
“And Putin wants nothing less - nothing less - than Ukraine’s total subjugation, to end Ukraine’s democracy to destroy Ukraine’s culture and to wipe Ukraine off the map. And we know Putin won’t stop at Ukraine. But make no mistake: Ukraine can and will stop Putin,” Biden said.