According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the recent barbaric strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin have presented Europe with its greatest security challenge since World War II.
Austin said, “At the completion of a two-day ministerial conference of NATO, our alliance of free nations stands united to denounce the unlawful and illegitimate Russian action in Ukraine.”
Putin, in my opinion, may easily invade his friendly neighbour, but the Russian military operation is now in its eighth week, he said.
According to the statement, Austin thanked the friends and partners that support Ukraine and said that NATO has never been more unified and steadfast to meet this challenge.
“The NATO has responded strongly and firmly to the Russian intervention, and our insistence on protecting every inch of NATO lands will not be shaken,” he says, noting that the allies deployed tens of thousands of forces directly under NATO’s command and allocated significant air and naval resources to counter any “Russian aggression.”
Austin reiterated that NATO does not damage Russia, saying that it consistently affirms that it won’t join Russia in a war of its own choosing but will support Ukraine in its struggle for self-defense.
The US Secretary of Defense expressed his confidence that NATO work helps to ensure that the allies can maintain reliable deterrence and defense, while “we continue our steadfast support for the brave citizens of Ukraine.
He emphasised the significance of the coalition, noting that US President Joe Biden’s recently released national security plan places a strong emphasis on NATO and collaboration with allies and other like-minded partners.
Invitees to the NATO meeting included ministers from Finland and Sweden.
Austin described the decision of these countries to submit an application to join the union’s membership as a “historic step” and recommended the allies to ratify these protocols to join as soon as possible.
The progress made since the NATO summit in Madrid earlier this year was covered during the two-day ministerial meeting.
They talked about the pressing issues facing Ukraine, the effects of Russian military action on the overall security situation, and the initiatives taken to solve the crucial problem of ammunition stocks and the defence sector.
According to the US Defense Minister, Putin’s actions have presented Europe with its greatest security threat since World War II.
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