https://sputnikglobe.com/20240229/us-defense-secretary-austin-says-nato-will-be-in-fight-with-russia-if-ukraine-falls-1117061184.html
US Defense Secretary Austin Says NATO Will be in Fight With Russia if Ukraine Falls
US Defense Secretary Austin Says NATO Will be in Fight With Russia if Ukraine Falls
Sputnik International
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that he “really believes” that if Ukraine loses in the ongoing conflict, NATO will have to fight Russia next
2024-02-29T17:44+0000
2024-02-29T17:44+0000
2024-02-29T18:24+0000
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“Quite frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia,” Austin told a House Armed Services Committee hearing.The Kremlin has consistently warned against the West's continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict, adding that Western military equipment will be eventually destroyed. Moscow also cautioned that NATO countries “are playing with fire” by providing Kiev with arms.Moscow has repeatedly warned NATO against its eastward expansion, which the Kremlin says could further inflame tensions in Europe. Russia has stressed that the country has no aggressive intentions towards any states, while NATO aims to expand into the post-Soviet space to foment conflicts near Russia's borders. NATO also conducts regular exercises close to the borders of Russia under the pretext of perceived "Russian threat".
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nato enlargement, nato expansion, who’s joining nato, finland and sweden in nato, new nato members, why is hungary against nato expansion, why is nato expanding, nato expanding eastward, nato vs russia, threats to nato, nato spending quotas, how much money do nato members spend on defense, nato defense spending
US Defense Secretary Austin Says NATO Will be in Fight With Russia if Ukraine Falls
17:44 GMT 29.02.2024 (Updated: 18:24 GMT 29.02.2024) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that he “really believes” that if Ukraine loses in the ongoing conflict, NATO will have to fight Russia next.
“Quite frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia,” Austin told a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
"Is this a direct threat to Russia or an attempt to make an excuse for Zelensky? Both are insane. But now everyone sees who the aggressor is, it's Washington," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented in response to the statement.
Western countries have provided hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. Aid shipments began in 2022 with artillery munitions and training and have escalated to include tanks, advanced air-defense systems, missiles and cluster munitions.
The Kremlin has consistently warned against the
West's continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict, adding that Western military equipment will be eventually destroyed. Moscow also cautioned that NATO countries “
are playing with fire” by
providing Kiev with arms.
In recent years, the North Atlantic alliance had particularly disregarded Moscow's offers related to NATO and the US, which aimed to provide security assurances. These proposals included an agreement that would enforce a mutual commitment from both Russia and NATO to refrain from positioning troops, ships, or aircraft in proximity to one another.
Moscow has repeatedly warned NATO against its eastward expansion, which the Kremlin says could further inflame tensions in Europe. Russia has stressed that the country has no aggressive intentions towards any states, while NATO aims to expand into the post-Soviet space to foment conflicts near Russia's borders. NATO also conducts regular exercises close to the borders of Russia under the pretext of perceived "
Russian threat".
After a Paris-hosted conference on Ukraine on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and had neither reached a consensus on the matter nor ruled out the possibility. Several NATO countries, including Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and Hungary, have since distanced themselves from Macron’s comment, emphasizing that they have no intention of deploying troops on the ground in Ukraine.
