Tallinn - U.S. President Barack Obama has called for the strengthening of the North Atlantic alliance to ensure security and stability in Europe.
Speaking at a public lecture on Sept. 3 in Tallinn, he said: “The United States is working to bolster the security of our NATO allies and further increase America’s military presence in Europe… Here in the Baltics, it would mean positioning more American equipment, so it’s ready if needed. It would mean more training and exercises between our militaries. And it would mean more U.S. forces, including American boots on the ground, continuously rotating through Estonia and Latvia and Lithuania.”
He said that NATO must continue to stand united against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Obama said that the sanctions against Russia had led to the fact that “Russia is paying a price.”
“Capital is fleeing. Foreign investment is plummeting because investors know that today’s Russia is a bad bet given its behavior. The Russian economy has slipped into recession. Its energy production, which is the engine of the Russian economy, is expected to drop. Its credit rating is near junk status. The ruble just fell to an all-time low. In short, Russia’s actions in Ukraine are weakening Russia. Russia’s actions are hurting the Russian people,” he said.
Obama also added: “NATO needs to make concrete commitments to help Ukraine modernize and strengthen its security forces. And by the way, we have to do more to help other NATO partners, including Georgia and Moldova, strengthen their defenses as well.”
He said that NATO’s policy was not directed against anyone.
“Countries like Estonia and Latvia and Lithuania are not post-Soviet territory. You’re sovereign and independent nations with a right to make your own decisions. No other nation gets to veto your security decisions. The protests in Ukraine on the Maidan were not led by neo-Nazis of fascists. They were led by ordinary Ukrainians, men and women, young and old who were fed up with a corrupt regime and who wanted to share in the progress and prosperity that they see in the rest of Europe. And they did not engage in an armed seizure of power,” Obama said.
He said that “we protect NATO allies and that means all members of the alliance.”
“First we will defend our NATO allies, and that means every ally. In this alliance there are no old members or new members, no junior partners or senior partners. They’re just allies, pure and simple, and we will defend the territorial integrity of every single ally. Today more NATO aircraft patrol the skies of the Baltics. More American forces are on the ground training and rotating through each of the Baltic states. More NATO ships patrol the Black Sea. I believe our alliance should extend these defensive measures for as long as necessary, because the defense of Tallinn and Riga and Vilnius is just as important as the defense of Berlin and Paris and London,” Obama said.
