HALIFAX - Maintaining support for Ukraine in its war against Russia is vitally important in a world increasingly under threat from autocratic regimes, the United States secretary of defense said Saturday.
In a speech at the Halifax International Security Forum, Lloyd Austin said Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 鈥渨ar of choice鈥 in Ukraine is a threat to the rules-based international order that was established following the Second World War.
He said it鈥檚 an order where small states have the same rights as large ones and democracies such as the United States and Canada have security obligations 鈥渢hat we cannot walk away from.鈥
鈥淢ake no mistake: we will not be dragged into Putin鈥檚 war of choice,鈥 said Austin. 鈥淏ut we will stand by Ukraine as it fights to defend itself. We will defend every inch of NATO territory.鈥
Austin warned that with a hard winter ahead in Ukraine, Putin may resort again to 鈥減rofoundly irresponsible nuclear saber-rattling.鈥
But the secretary said that potential threat is a challenge the NATO alliance and other democratic countries will meet together.
Austin said stability and prosperity is at stake on both sides of the Atlantic.
鈥淭he U.S. trading relationship with the European Union is the largest in the world,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o when an aggressor manufactures a huge security crisis in Europe, it hits home for everyday Americans and 好色tvs.鈥
Austin said meeting the challenge in Ukraine is part of a broader strategy aimed at keeping the aggressive tactics of countries such as China and Iran in check.
He pointed to the Indo-Pacific region, where he said China is trying to expand its influence in a way that is 鈥渇ar from our vision of a free, stable and open international system.鈥
Austin said China鈥檚 military activities in the Taiwan Strait are growing 鈥渋ncreasingly provocative,鈥 with Chinese aircraft flying near Taiwan on a 鈥渘ear-daily basis.鈥
鈥淭hese troubling trends highlight the imperative of working with our unparalleled network of allies and partners across both the Atlantic and the Pacific to deter aggression,鈥 said Austin.
Meanwhile, an American congressional delegation of six senators and three members of the House of Representatives also highlighted the continuing need for a commitment to Ukraine in the aftermath of mid-term elections in the U.S.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire stressed the 鈥渃ritical importance鈥 of standing up for democracy.鈥
鈥淲e are a bi-partisan delegation that represents the full span of the United States and I think it鈥檚 important for us to be here and to be here with representation from the administration,鈥 said Shaheen.
Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho said Austin鈥檚 speech was important because it both outlined U.S. foreign policy and explained the reasons behind it.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 going on in Ukraine is really going to dictate how the world operates in the rest of this century,鈥 said Risch. 鈥淗ow this ends is going to dictate how autocrats look at what their ability to do is.鈥
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware told reporters it鈥檚 his hope the U.S. aid package to Ukraine will include more for humanitarian assistance, given the already robust military and economic help provided to date.
Coons said the need in Ukraine will only increase because of the current Russian bombing campaign, which has hit that country鈥檚 electrical infrastructure.
鈥淚 think there is a real risk of another wave of refugees and of intensified humanitarian need,鈥 he said.
Earlier Saturday, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Yulia Kovaliv told a forum panel it鈥檚 estimated about 40 per cent of her country鈥檚 electrical grid has been destroyed or 鈥渕assively hit鈥 by Russian missiles.
This report by 好色tvwas first published Nov. 19, 2022.
