Wess Mitchell

The Chinese investment in central and eastern Europe is serious,... by Wess Mitchell

The Chinese investment in central and eastern Europe is serious, it's strategic and it's growing.

They're competing for influence. by Wess Mitchell

They're competing for influence.

We've also been very clear that across the board, an acquisition of S-400 will inevitably affect the prospects for Turkish military-industrial cooperation with the United States, including F-35.

We work with them very closely in intelligence and in other areas, but this has the potential to spike the punch.

In all of these areas, with Iran, defense spending, trade, we are committed to finding a common way forward, we are committing to acting. We can debate, we can strategize, we can coordinate, but we must act, in the actions we take, we are hoping to spur a multilateral response to address some of the world's toughest challenges.

Taking strong positions on these issues may not always lead to immediate agreement. But the long term costs of neglecting these things far outweigh political unity.