Vice-President Mike Pence with commander of the Estonian defense Forces Riho Terracom and Prime Minister jüri Ratas a Monday took part in building located in Estonia NATO troops and Estonian military. In his speech, he reiterated the US commitment to article 5 of the NATO Treaty on collective defense.
Pence said that the President of the United States Donald trump personally sent him to Tallinn to thank the Baltic States for their Alliance with the US and upholding shared values. The Vice President noted that the United States and Europe historically linked to each other with a commitment to freedom. He stressed that the policy of trump is to put first the safety and prosperity of the United States, but this does not mean that he speaks only about the United States.
Pens servicemen repeated the same words he said earlier to the presidents of the Baltic States: “the United States with you. The United States are near the Baltic countries, and we will continue to do so in the future.” According to him, the US and Europe are stronger together than individually. He recalled that the Baltic States joined NATO only 13 years ago and recognize their contribution to collective defense of the Alliance. The Vice President reiterated that trump demands of all countries-members of NATO to spend 2% GDP on defense, but this requirement is met only five members of the Alliance, including Estonia. Penny confirmed that Estonia as chair of the Council of the European Union will receive the full support of the United States, if she calls security.
The US has no small allies
He also confirmed the implementation of article 5 of the NATO Treaty and declared that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all. According to the American Vice-President, the need for NATO is now stronger than at any time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, because today’s challenges are more severe and asymmetric.
Pence also touched on the fight against terrorism, noting that the United States will not rest until until you destroy the extremist group “Islamic state” (banned in Russia organization — approx. ed.). He added that terrorism is not the only threat, referring to the missile tests in North Korea and Iran. According to him, all allies have an important role: “the US has no small allies.”
Speaking about Russia, Pence said that Moscow is trying to undermine democracy in other States. According to him, President trump will engage Russia accountable for its actions and encourages allies to do the same. He reiterated that the United States would prefer to have constructive interaction with Russia, which makes the same statement. According to Pence, US open to improving relations with Moscow, but to improve and the lifting of sanctions Russia needs to stop the action for which they were entered. The Vice President reaffirmed that the United States will always be the main ally of the Baltic States and the Union and friendship only strengthened.
