US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Europeans to trumpet the benefits of the EU, which he suggested were being overlooked amid a new wave of Euroskepticism | Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP via Getty Images John Kerry’s rallying cry to Europe: It’s time for ‘pushback’ In defending the Euro-Atlantic alliance, US secretary of state highlights its weaknesses.

From a pitch to rescue an imperiled EU-U.S. trade pact, to an impassioned reaffirmation of NATO’s common defense doctrine, to a pep talk on how to combat nationalism and xenophobia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry extolled the merits of the Euro-Atlantic alliance Tuesday, declaring: “The need for our unity is as great as ever.”

In a nearly hour-long speech in Brussels, where he was to attend a conference on Afghanistan, Kerry voiced confidence and optimism about EU-U.S. relations, which he acknowledged had been shaken by “churning” — a reference to such disparate developments as the British vote to leave the EU, Donald Trump’s NATO-skeptic campaign statements, a spate of terror attacks and Europe’s economic woes.

“The ghosts of conflicts past: virulent nationalism, authoritarianism, prejudice and sectarian divide have reappeared in modern but no less vicious guise,” Kerry said at one point, adding later: “On both sides of the Atlantic we hear calls to ban all immigrants, end free trade, align with autocrats — all at variance with the values on which our alliance had been built.”

That Kerry felt a need at all to give a speech emphasizing the importance and strength of the transatlantic partnership seemed to underscore a new and worrisome weakness — one he sought to counteract with rhetorical flourishes honed during his more than 28-year career in the United States Senate.

“The truth is there are no easy ways to address these anxieties,” Kerry said. “[But] I can tell you there is a logical place to begin — and that is by remembering who we are and what we stand for and who we stand with.”

He continued: “I cannot emphasize too strongly the twin propositions that unity within Europe and partnership between the United States and Europe remain absolutely indispensable to global security and prosperity.”

At other points in his speech, Kerry urged greater support for the EU-U.S. trade pact — the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership — which has suffered serious setbacks amid a backlash against free trade in Europe and the U.S.

Kerry said the deal was especially important for Europe as it seeks to revive its sluggish economy. “More people would have a lot more ability to sell what they produce in a lot more places,” he said.

In his speech, Kerry reiterated U.S. frustration with Russia’s role in the conflict in Syria and continuing Western outrage over Russia’s intervention in eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. But in doing so, and in reaffirming U.S. commitment to the common defense clause in the NATO treaty, Kerry highlighted the alliance's powerlessness to halt the Russian aggression or prevent the taking of Crimea.

Kerry also used the talk, hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, to urge Europeans to trumpet the benefits of the EU, which he suggested were being overlooked or forgotten amid a new wave of Euroskepticism among the Continent’s voters.

"The Euro-Atlantic partnership ... was forged to address epic challenges" — John Kerry

“There has to be more pushback,” Kerry said. “I have not heard a robust enough debate frankly here in Europe or elsewhere about the virtues that I tried to lay out today about this alliance and what the EU provides to Europe itself.”

He continued, “Think of the wealth created in Europe, think of how peacefully Europe has been able to live, think of the advances in the quality of life in Europe, think of what Europe has accomplished in these 70 years out of the ashes of war. It is one of the greatest stories in the history of humankind and it needs to be treated with that kind of respect and sold that way. And I don’t hear it being sold that way.”

But Kerry also warned that the alliance was needed precisely because challenges would always arise. "The Euro-Atlantic partnership did not come together to coast along through the best of times," he said. “It was forged to address epic challenges."