[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 119 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2341-S2342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  NATO

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I got home last night or at least got 
back to Washington last night at midnight after completing a whirlwind 
trip of 3 days to Lithuania. I went there in a bipartisan delegation to 
be present for the NATO summit. It was a historic meeting. President 
Biden was there and the leaders of many countries from around the 
world--not just the NATO allies but, for instance, the President of the 
Republic of South Korea and the Prime Minister from Australia. What 
brought them all together was a historic event.
  The NATO alliance, which has been in existence for over 70 years, was 
created after World War II to bring peace

[[Page S2342]]

to at least the European and American region of the world. It has been 
successful because we gathered nations--now 31--together in common 
purpose to fight off anyone who would attack us, to let those who are 
thinking of attacking us know the heavy price they would pay.
  So the message from Vilnius, Lithuania, to Vladimir Putin this week 
is not a good one for him. The message is that the NATO alliance is 
bigger, stronger, and more unified than it ever has been in history. In 
a way, it is kind of a surprise. It wasn't that long ago that the 
previous President, Donald Trump, raised enough questions among leaders 
in the world that they wondered if there would be a NATO. Trump, of 
course, was a close friend--I still can't understand why--of Vladimir 
Putin's, often finding him so admirable and praising him for his crazy 
politics. Yet, when it came to the NATO alliance, President Trump was 
very critical--to the point where, when Joseph Biden became President 
of the United States and started meeting with world leaders, the first 
question they asked was, well, what is the position of the United 
States when it comes to this common security alliance? Biden assured 
them that it was strong and would continue to be, and he has proven it.
  What happened in Lithuania at the NATO summit this week is a tribute 
to leadership by many people, not the least of whom is our President. 
He came together and understood that we are stronger when we stand 
together, and we saw it in Vilnius. The situation that we witnessed 
yesterday was historic.
  My mother was born in that little country of Lithuania many years ago 
and immigrated to the United States at the age of 2. I have been back 
many times. My first visit was in 1979 before I was elected to 
Congress. I am glad I went. It was good for me to see what Lithuania 
looked like in Soviet times and to see the sharp contrast today with 
modern Lithuania.
  It is just plain historic that a NATO summit would be held in that 
same former Soviet socialist republic, this year, 2023. The summit was 
hosted in Lithuania because of that country's extraordinary journey 
from Soviet tyranny to a thriving democratic voice.
  Knowing Putin's tyranny all too well, Lithuania has been an outspoken 
supporter of Ukraine despite the invasion by Putin, as well as a 
supporter of the exiled voices from Belarus and Russia and has stood 
firm against Chinese economic bullying resulting from growing trade 
with Taiwan.
  It brought back to mind what I witnessed over the years. That former 
Soviet socialist republic was literally the first republic to step 
forward and say: We are breaking with Moscow. We want our own 
independence.
  They paid a heavy price: pressure, killing, invasion--all of the 
things which Gorbachev and Soviet leaders could conjure up to try to 
stop this little country from succeeding. But they failed. Lithuania is 
a proud nation now, and I am glad it hosted this NATO summit.
  We saw at the summit an amazing array of international leaders, 
including Asian allies like Australia and South Korea as well as our 
own President and Secretary of State Tony Blinken. What struck me was 
the sustained resolve and common purpose in defeating Russia in their 
war with Ukraine. Our NATO allies, many former captives of the Soviet 
Union themselves, have enduring memories of war and are determined to 
not allow Russia's imperial actions of today.
  I want to recognize President Joe Biden's clear-eyed vision and 
leadership in galvanizing and reinvigorating the critical NATO alliance 
and its support for Ukraine.
  The chairs of our journey, the NATO observers from the Senate, were 
Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. They 
did an admirable job, and I was glad to be part of their effort.
  We must never forget that NATO was born from the ashes of two 
horrific wars in Europe, with many newer members eventually joining 
after decades of Soviet oppression.
  Despite Putin's warped paranoia to the contrary, NATO is not a threat 
to Russia, but it will defend every inch of member territory from 
Russia or any other such attack. The alliance is still growing, with 
this summit's newest member, Finland, and now Sweden on the way.
  Putin's colossal strategic blunder in Ukraine has cost the lives of 
more than 100,000 Russian soldiers, and it lowered Russia's standing in 
the world. Much to his disappointment, Putin's senseless invasion in 
fact strengthened and expanded the NATO alliance, including along 
hundreds of miles of Russian border.
  There were a few other key summit outcomes--notably, further security 
guarantees to Ukraine and an easier pathway for Ukraine to ultimately 
be part of NATO, which I hope it will be.
  I believe Ukraine's future rests ultimately within NATO, and, until 
then, the United States and our allies must continue to support its 
defense against Russian aggression.
  I think Lithuanian President Nauseda argued this well--that the 
Europeans understand that Ukraine's fight is their fight. That also is 
my feeling and of most of us here in the Senate of both political 
parties. Ukraine's fight for democracy and sovereignty is our fight 
too.
  In Vilnius we also met with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana 
Tsikhanouskaya. Her husband Sergei was jailed after trying to run in an 
election against Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the last 
dictator in Europe. So she ran in his place, and probably won. But with 
Lukashenka refusing to honor the election results, she tragically had 
to flee to neighboring Lithuania.
  Her country has become a puppet state of Putin, even allowing Russia 
to move nuclear weapons into its territory. Countless Belarusians have 
been jailed for demanding basic freedoms, and yet she and so many 
others heroically continue their struggle, including some who were 
fighting to help Ukraine.
  This poster shows two jailed Belarusian journalists who worked for 
Radio Free Europe, which is doing heroic quality journalism in the 
region: Andrey Kuznechyk and Ihar Losik. Both were jailed by Lukashenka 
for simply being reporters. They and all the country's political 
prisoners should be released, period.
  I also hope the administration will soon announce a new special envoy 
for Belarus, and I plan to work with my Senate colleagues to update and 
strengthen the Belarus Democracy Act.
  I want to close with a message to Vladimir Putin from the summit. The 
NATO alliance is stronger than ever, and we are united in our 
determination to stop your ruthless invasion of Ukraine.