Ukraine war: Russia’s invasion preview to potential global tyranny – US
United States Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has offered a preview of “a possible world of tyranny and turmoil.”
Austin, who made the remarks in a speech to a security forum in Canada, said Russia was breaking the laws of war.
“These aren’t just lapses. These aren’t exceptions to the rule. These are atrocities,”
“Russian missile barrages have left innocent Ukrainians without heat, water, and electricity. We’ve seen schools attacked. Children killed. Hospitals bombed. Centers of Ukrainian history and culture reduced to rubble.” Austin said.
Austin’s remarks are his strongest to date to the international community on the importance of helping Kyiv prevail after nearly nine months of war.
Austin said the United States wouldn’t get dragged into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “war of choice,” but warned of the risks of global nuclear proliferation if Moscow were to prevail.
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“Putin’s fellow autocrats are watching. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own
“And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation,” Austin said.
After a series of battlefield defeats, Russia is aiming missile strikes at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure that could leave millions of civilians exposed to the winter cold.
Pentagon officials say Moscow hopes to exhaust Ukraine’s missile defenses and buy time to reset its forces.
Moscow denies that its armed forces deliberately target civilians or civilian infrastructure.
Taiwan
Austin said Chinese aircraft were flying near self-ruled Taiwan in record numbers almost daily, while the number of what he called “dangerous intercepts” by China of U.S. or allied forces at sea or in the air was increasing.
Tensions between Taipei and Beijing have risen since China staged war games near the democratically-governed island in August after a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Just days after U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on Monday, Austin said that Beijing, like Moscow, sought “a world where might makes right.”
Austin said the United States was drawing on the lessons of Ukraine to “bolster the self-defense capabilities of our Indo-Pacific partners.”
“We’re helping them to become more agile and resilient,” Austin said.
Zainab Sa’id
