FINLAND – This weekend, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) traveled to Finland on a congressional delegation (CODEL) trip to meet with President Alexander Stubb and participate in the fourth annual Helsinki Security Forum.
Senator Gallego speaks at the Helsinki Security Forum
At the Helsinki Forum on Saturday, Senator Gallego emphasized the need for strong U.S.-European partnerships in the face of Russian aggression and the growing influence of China.
“We need to be doing everything we can to reassure our partners. We need to reassure our friends across the Atlantic that we’re here in the fight with them [and] that we have a long-term vision of joint cooperation,” said Senator Gallego. “We have to reassure our steadfast support that we will enforce Article 5. I think there is a lot of testing happening right now by Russia to see how far and deep our relationships and our trust is in each other.”
He warned that Russia’s escalating actions are not being met with sufficient pushback from the Trump administration, which risks further emboldening both Russia and China.
“Look, I think Putin’s a bully. I think Russia only understands strength and hard push backs. I think this president, President Trump, who’s willing to basically push anyone around in the world except for Putin – I can’t really comprehend what the thought process is. But Putin is testing not just us, [he’s] testing him, testing President Trump. It’s just a series of escalations […] Every day it’s a push, push, push, and when we don’t respond, it only encourages more and more negative action from Russia.”
“China is seeing a lot of what’s happening in Ukraine […] and they’re calibrating their potential responses in case something happens between China and Taiwan. They want to know can they survive economic sanctions. They want to know who will walk away from an alliance with us or stick with us. They want to see the determination of the United States and our transatlantic partners.”
Senator Gallego also emphasized the importance of preserving the U.S.’s alliances abroad amidst the Trump administration’s erratic and unpredictable approach to foreign policy.
“Foreign policy right now stems from whatever the president thinks,” said Senator Gallego. “This president’s going to come and go. He’s going to be gone in three years. The relationships, the institutions that have really welded us together for so many years need to continue to happen and we have to kind of continue building on top of that. That’s how you can really make it through these waves that we’re having right now, because right now this is a very difficult time.”
Watch the full conversation HERE.
On Saturday, Senator Gallego also met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb to discuss U.S.-Nordic cooperation, the war in Ukraine, and the importance of maintaining a strong transatlantic alliance.
“The U.S. partnership with Finland, and with our NATO allies, remains vital in countering Russia’s ongoing hybrid warfare. I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure this valued relationship grows even stronger,” said Senator Gallego.
Senator Gallego meets with Finnish President Alexander Stubb