At the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the United States is actively working to bolster Ukraine. The Army General also outlined why Ukraine is crucial for the US:
- Russia’s war poses a stark and direct threat to security in Europe and beyond.
- Putin’s aggression is a clear challenge to NATO allies.
- The Kremlin’s deliberate cruelty is an attack on the values of democracy and decency.
- Putin’s war is a frontal assault on the international rules-based order.
“So the outcome of this struggle will define global security for decades to come. And we don’t have the option of sitting it out,” stated the American official.
Lloyd Austin also conveyed that the goal of US President Joe Biden is to ensure a free and sovereign Ukraine that can defend itself today and deter further Russian aggression in the future.
“If we do not stand up to the Kremlin’s naked aggression today, if we do not deter other would-be aggressors, we will only embolden them. So we are working, together with our allies and partners, to help Ukraine build a future force that can ward off more Russian malice in the years to come,” said Lloyd Austin.
He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes time is on his side despite his isolation. However, this is not the case.
“He believes that our coalition will splinter, that our willpower will fade, and that our democracy will just get distracted. But once again, Putin is wrong. And we must continue to be clear to the American people about the stakes in Ukraine,” said Lloyd Austin.
On 20 November, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during his visit to Kyiv, assured the Ukrainian leadership of the continued support from the United States.
Read more:
- Stoltenberg: More arms for Ukraine means quicker war end
- 2 Dead, 7 Wounded as Russia bombs Kherson hospitals and residential building
- Frontline report: Russian soldiers refuse to attack Dnipro islands as Ukrainians maintain bridgehead across the river
