On Ukraine, NATO and cooperation
Immediately after the events of 11 September 2001, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time and the UN Security Council stood united against terror, we answered the call for help together – as our nations have done for more than a century, standing shoulder to shoulder through two world wars, the Cold War, the war in Afghanistan and other events that have shaped or influenced our shared security.
Today, an equally unshakeable resolve is needed to defend Ukraine and its courageous people; it is needed to secure a truly just and lasting peace. From the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to the melting glaciers of the Arctic, the resolve and experience of the US armed forces and their allies are the foundation of NATO, committed to defending one another, to protecting our citizens and our interests, and to safeguarding the people of North America and Europe against our common enemies.
(...) Despite the differences and disagreements that exist between us, we are united in our determination to defend democracy, to protect all our people from danger, and to honour the courage of those who risk their lives every day in the service of our countries.
(...) The alliance that our two countries have built over the course of a century – and for which we are deeply grateful to the American people – is truly unique. This alliance is part of the ambitious vision of an Atlantic partnership resting on two pillars, Europe and America, that Henry Kissinger described as President Kennedy's. I believe that this partnership matters more today than ever before.
(...) The problems we face are too great for any one country to overcome alone. In this unpredictable situation, our alliance cannot rest on past achievements or assume that its founding principles will simply remain unchanged. As the British Prime Minister said last month: our partnership is irreplaceable. We must not disregard all that has sustained us over the past eighty years. On the contrary, it is precisely what we must build upon.
On the geopolitical situation
(...) we have come together at a time of great uncertainty; a time when conflicts from Europe to the Middle East are creating enormous challenges for the international community, and their effects are being felt in every community in our countries.
On the fight against evil
(...) I hope – and I remember it in my prayers – that in these troubled times, working both with one another and with our international partners, we shall succeed in halting the beating of ploughshares into swords.
On our shared history
(...) we are grateful for the invitation to the United States of America to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. (...) Today I have come to this momentous occasion in the life of both our countries to convey the deepest respect and friendship of the British people towards the people of the United States of America. (...)
Throughout this time the fates of our countries have been intertwined. As Oscar Wilde put it: “We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.”
(...) When I look back over the past centuries, I see certain patterns clearly – self-evident truths from which we can learn and draw common strength. Bearing in mind the spirit of 1776, we can probably agree that we do not always – at least not at first – see eye to eye. For instance, the principle on which your Congress was founded – no taxation without (parliamentary) representation – was both a fundamental point of contention and a shared democratic value that you inherited from us. Our partnership has been forged through disagreement, but it is no less strong for that.
(...) As President Trump observed during his state visit to Great Britain last autumn: “The bond between America and the United Kingdom, founded on shared ancestry and identity, is priceless and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable.”