This is a decisive moment for our generation. If we fail to show determination, we will be seen as weak. And as history has shown, weakness doesn’t lead to peace.
Alliances are what democracies do best. Authoritarian regimes have never been effective in maintaining them because for autocrats, cooperation is based only on short-term needs — not values. The democratic world does it better, it’s our strength.
And now it’s time to put that strength to good use. We need to make sure our values — freedom, democracy, welfare and security — will be guaranteed for the transatlantic community for generations to come.
Any European country would struggle to face Russia alone. But when we’re united, we’re invincible. Russia appears gigantic — a nuclear power with a population of close to 145 million. However, that must not paralyze us. There are three times as many people in the EU, and our total GDP is around 10 times higher than Russia´s. European democracies, together with deep transatlantic cooperation, are powerful enough to achieve peace without a battle.
So far, NATO has done well at deterring Russia, but we need to strive to keep the alliance just as strong in the future. The Russian threat is no longer exotic or abstract, it’s right before us. Furthermore, we’re all already in a hybrid war with our eastern neighbor daily. NATO and the EU cannot carry on in their casual peacetime rhythm. Rather, we need to be relevant.
For this, it’s essential to boost our cooperation. Together, we must make NATO’s defense stronger by tying plans to specific forces, capabilities and command structures. And we must exercise regularly to keep our collective readiness taut and sharp.
