Speaker Ryan in London: ‘NATO is essential’ – The Hill

Speaker Paul RyanPaul RyanObamaCare replacement deal hits major speed bumps Poll: Dems have enthusiasm edge for 2018 Speaker Ryan must step up for Puerto Rico MORE (R-Wis.) praised the enduring alliance between the United States andUnited KingdomWednesday while calling on Britain to help combat Russian aggression through NATO, which he deemed essential.

So lets be clear: The actions of Russia are not the actions of a friend, Ryan said at the U.K. think tank Policy Exchange in London.

Ryan said his delegation recently visited other NATO states and stressed that the security organization is vital to their international security interests.

Please let there be no ambiguity here: NATO is essential. It has been and remains critical to the safety and security of the United States, Great Britain, and the world, Ryan said.

Ryan made the comments a week after President Trump drastically shifted his stance on NATO, saying he no longer thinks the organization is obsolete.

As Trump has done, Ryan urged NATO members to increase their defense funding.

"Member states should follow the lead of the U.S., U.K., Poland, Estonia, and Greece and contribute 2 percent of their GDP to defense spending. And we should enhance our lines of communication to ensure NATO countries receive the most timely, actionable information possible."

In the 28-member group, the U.S. is one of just five countries spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense.

Ryan praised Trumps decision to order a missile strike on a Syrian air base where, officials say, President Bashar Assad organized a chemical attack that killed scores of civilians.

The strikes ordered by President Trump were appropriate and just. They demonstrate our resolve and refusal to stand on the sidelines as Assad slaughters his people and their children with the cruelest weapons known to man. You understand, as we do, that preventing the use of chemical weapons is a vital national security interest.

"So we must continue to work together the United States, Great Britain, and all of our allies to finally end this nightmare, Ryan said.

Ryan said Assads backers such as Iran and Russia must also be held accountable.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with Trump during a press conference last week to discuss the military alliance.

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Speaker Ryan in London: 'NATO is essential' - The Hill