Jackson Purchase News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered remarks today at the Reagan Institute commemorating NATO’s 75th Anniversary.

“The world remembers Ronald Reagan as the Great Communicator, and rightly so. With plainspoken persuasion, he took an animating principle – peace through strength – to halls of power from London to Berlin and Tokyo to Geneva,” McConnell stated.

He highlighted Reagan's resolve and influence on global politics: “Just as often, and just as memorably, he showed his own resolve, steeled the spine of our allies, and gave hope to the oppressed in places where the yoke of tyranny weighed the heaviest – like in front of the Berlin Wall, and in Moscow… And in places where the forces of tyrants had taken the steepest toll – atop the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, and at the concentration camp of Bergen Belsen.”

McConnell emphasized that Reagan’s rhetorical skills were bolstered by hard power: “But President Reagan knew well that being a master of rhetoric, public diplomacy, and soft power wasn’t worth much without the hard power that gave his words their weight. He knew that telling Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the walls that imprisoned the captive nations of the Soviet Union only packed a punch because the arsenal of democracy – which he had spent years rebuilding – was backing it up.”

He urged contemporary leaders to ensure promises are backed by tangible strength: “The West must ensure that our promises and our threats are backed by hard power. And nowhere are the West’s interests and the credibility of its commitments more plainly and immediately at stake than on the front lines of Ukraine.”

McConnell honored Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presence: “I am honored that President Zelenskyy is with us this evening. For more than two years, the people of Ukraine have backed words of defiance with acts of tremendous courage.”

Reflecting on Reagan’s likely stance towards current conflicts, McConnell said: “It’s not difficult to imagine what President Reagan would’ve thought about a democratic nation – whose sovereignty his actions helped secure – facing the sharp edge of Russian aggression yet again.”

He called for robust support for nations fighting authoritarianism: “Our friends on the front lines... don’t need hand-wringing hesitation or second-guessing. They need tools to defend themselves... Slow-walking aid to Ukraine didn’t stave off further Russian escalation... Conditioning further assistance will weaken Ukraine’s hand.”

Addressing broader geopolitical threats, McConnell remarked: “Russian aggression in Europe and Iran-backed terror in the Middle East aren’t isolated events... The threats facing the West today are generational. Deterring and defeating them requires long-range vision and long-term commitment.”

He urged European allies to recognize interconnected threats beyond their borders: “NATO members must also recognize that connected threats extend far beyond Europe’s borders... European allies need to recognize how growing threat China poses matters to us as well.”

McConnell concluded by emphasizing American leadership's indispensability: “Isolationists on this side of Atlantic must face fact that American leadership is as indispensable today as it was 40 years ago… That our credibility is not divisible… And that European security and prosperity is tied inextricably to our own.”

He praised American recognition for NATO's role: "As Speaker Johnson pointed out yesterday... they also recognize importance supplemental investments Congress made earlier this year supporting friends on front lines."

In closing remarks about NATO's future, McConnell said: "Seventy-five years trans-Atlantic alliance has given us plenty celebrate this week... Our words must be unapologetic. Our actions must be unrelenting. And greatest military alliance human history must continue carry day."