Thread by @AtlanticCouncil

LTG H.R. McMaster: “The Atlantic Council is a special place, and the Atlantic Council does special work that is increasingly important to all of our – all of our security.” #USBalticSummit atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atla…

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McMaster: “President @KerstiKaljulaid and President @Vejonis, what an honor to be here with two great leaders who have been so strong – so strong for their own nations, but really so strong for the West and all of us.” #USBalticSummit 2/

Beginning his remarks at the Atlantic Council last night, LTG H.R. McMaster congratulated “Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on their 100th anniversary of independence.” #USBalticSummit 3/

McMaster “The US has never ceased to recognize the independence of the Baltic republics… the American people opposed any form of intervention on the part of one state, however powerful, in the domestic concerns of any other sovereign state, however weak.” #USBalticSummit 4/

“Through the decades of Soviet occupation…the US continued to affirm the sovereignty of the Baltic republics. Throughout that entire period, we confidently displayed the flags of independent Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania alongside our own.” #USBalticSummit 5/

🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹🇺🇸

McMaster: “We are now engaged in a fundamental contest between our free and open societies and closed and repressive systems… To preserve our sovereignty and prevail, we must renew the same confidence that … empowered the people of the Baltic nations.” #USBalticSummit 6/

McMaster: “Since the denial-of-service attacks on Estonia in 2007 and the invasion of Georgia in 2008, Russia has used old and new forms of aggression to undermine our open societies and the foundations of international peace and stability.” #USBalticSummit 7/

McMaster on Russia’s hybrid warfare: “Russia employs sophisticated strategies deliberately designed to achieve objectives while falling below the target state’s threshold for a military response.” #USBalticSummit 8/

McMaster: “For too long some nations have looked the other way in the face of these threats.

Russia brazenly and implausibly denies its actions.

And we have failed to impose sufficient costs.”

#USBalticSummit

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McMaster identified Russia’s use of a nerve agent in an attempted murder in the UK as evidence that “the Kremlin’s confidence is growing as its agents conduct their sustained campaigns to undermine our confidence in ourselves and in one another.” #USBalticSummit 10/

“Mr. Putin may believe that he is winning in this new form of warfare. He may believe his aggressive actions…can undermine our confidence, our institutions, and our values…

He is wrong. Russian aggression is strengthening our resolve and our confidence.”

#USBalticSummit 11/

McMaster: “We might all help Mr. Putin understand his grave error…We might introduce him to the people of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania, who endured the devastation of WWII, decades of Soviet occupation… and emerged proud, strong, sovereign, free & prosperous” #USBalticSummit 12/

McMaster: “We might ask others around the world a simple question: Would you rather be part of a small club of autocrats…or would you rather be a club of free peoples who respect sovereignty, individual rights, and the rule of law?”

#USBalticSummit 13/

McMaster: “It is time that we expose those who glamorize and apologize in the service of communist, authoritarian, and repressive governments, regimes who torture, enslave, oppress, and murder their people.” #USBalticSummit 14/

“We are presently engaged in competitions with repressive and authoritarian systems to defend our way of life, to preserve our free and open societies. We must be confident. We must be active. We cannot be passive & hope that others will defend our freedom.”

#USBalticSummit 15/

McMaster: “Nations around the world, including the United States and the Baltic republics, announced the coordinated expulsion of Russian officials…These actions represent the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history.” #USBalticSummit 16/

McMaster: “So we are acting, but we must recognize the need for all of us to do more to respond to & deter Russian aggression” in four areas:

1) countering hybrid warfare
2) catalyzing change
3) sharing responsibility &
4) preserving our strategic confidence

#USBalticSummit 17/

“First, we must compete across all arenas to counter so-called hybrid warfare… We must reform and integrate our military, political, economic, law enforcement, and informational instruments of power to deter and defeat threats to our sovereignty.” #USBalticSummit 18/

“Second, we must catalyze change. We must invest in our cyber infrastructure to ensure that we protect our data, our innovation base & infrastructure…. To deter adversaries, we must be prepared to impose a high cost in response to cyber aggression.” #USBalticSummit 19/

“Third, we must all cooperate to share responsibility… many NATO countries, unlike the Baltic nations… are still not honoring the pledge to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense.

Our mutual security requires everyone to contribute.”

#USBalticSummit 20/

“Finally, we must realize that all of our actions depend on preserving our strategic confidence, our will to advance our values and defend our way of life…” #USBalticSummit 21/

McMaster: “As President @KerstiKaljulaid said: as long as we remain confident in these foundational principles, proud of our history, and faithful to our values, our nations will remain strong, secure, and free.” #USBalticSummit 22/

McMaster: “It has been a great privilege to serve the United States for 34 years. Tonight, at my last public engagement, it is an honor to address an audience that fundamentally understands what is at stake for our free and open societies.” #USBalticSummit 23/

McMaster: “Today the survival of our free and open societies and our way of life continues to depend on our confidence in our values, on our pride in our heritage, and on our will to defend our freedom.”

twitter.com/i/moments/9813…

#USBalticSummit 25/end

What did LTG McMaster 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 say about Russia in his remarks at the Atlantic Council last night?

Watch the video and read his words 👇

#USBalticSummit

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