Hoyer Statement on Reports that Secretary of State Will Skip NATO Meeting But Will Travel to Russia

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement responding to reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not attend a NATO meeting in April, and travel to Russia later in the month:

“I am deeply alarmed by reports that Secretary of State Tillerson plans to skip the NATO meeting in April but will instead travel to Russia later in the month.  Such a decision would send a dangerous signal to our allies and adversaries as well as undermine NATO’s collective security deterrence.  We must not embolden those regimes, like Russia, that are seeking to undercut Western unity and the values of democracy, freedom, and human rights that we have championed together for seven decades.  Secretary Tillerson must provide strong, public reassurance of America’s commitment to NATO and the priority of that commitment over any potential new engagement with Russia.  I would remind the Secretary that Vladimir Putin’s Russia has not done anything to merit such engagement or the weakening of any sanctions imposed as a result of its regional aggression and support for violent separatists in Ukraine.”