Speaking to US soldiers in Poland on Tuesday, Austin said that a victory for Russia in Ukraine could embolden China to use military force to expand its territory in the Indo-Pacific, the Voice of America reported.
“Putin won’t stop if he takes Ukraine,” Austin told US troops at a military installation in eastern Poland.
'The next thing you know, you and your comrades will be on the frontlines'
He added, as quoted by the VOA: “The next thing is he’s rolling across the Baltics … and the next thing you know, you and your comrades will be on the frontlines fighting against a Putin that we should have stopped, or Ukraine could have stopped early on.”
Austin's comments echoed many concerns voiced by NATO allies in Eastern Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, the VOA said.
It noted that Eastern European nations such as Poland, Romania and Estonia have hosted increasing numbers of US troops and weaponry since the war began 21 months ago, while also building up their own defenses to deter Russian aggression.
“We don’t want to live in a world where an autocrat can wake up and … take over his neighbor’s property,” Austin said in Poland on Tuesday, according to the VOA.
On Wednesday, the US defense secretary is expected to host another round of talks of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group virtually from the Pentagon.
More than 50 nations are expected to participate in the talks, which help Ukraine’s partners coordinate military aid sent to Kyiv, the VOA reported.
Polish defence minister, US counterpart discuss military cooperation
While in Poland on Tuesday, Austin met with Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak to discuss bilateral military cooperation amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to reports.
Błaszczak and Austin held talks at a US Army camp near the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
The meeting took place after the Pentagon chief visited Kyiv the day before to reaffirm US support for Ukraine.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meet near the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Polish Ministry of Defence
After Tuesday's meeting with Austin, Poland's Błaszczak told reporters that their talks had focused on "Polish-American cooperation in the context of Russia's war in Ukraine."
Błaszczak said that Poland's relationship with America was "crucial for the security of our country and the whole eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance."
He added that Poland was America's "most important ally on NATO's eastern flank," as evidenced by the presence of 10,000 US troops in the country.
Błaszczak also said that cooperation with the United States enabled Poland to equip its army with advanced US-made weapons, including Abrams tanks, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and Apache attack helicopters.
The Polish defence minister told reporters that Poland was aiming to "build Europe's strongest army" and "already has more than 193,000 troops."
Błaszczak added that the ultimate target is 300,000 troops, the PAP news agency reported.
Wednesday is day 637 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II.
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Source: tysol.pl, voanews.com