Secretary Austin calls for an international response if Russia invades Ukraine.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, while on a trip to South Korea Thursday, said he is calling for a collective international response should Ukraine be invaded by Russia. He said that any response or retaliatory action will “be done as a part of an international community,” though he added, “the best case, though, is that we won’t see an incursion by the Soviet Union into the Ukraine” (inadvertently calling Russia by its former name).
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blnken pointed to “evidence that Russia made plans for significant aggressive moves against Ukraine.” He noted similarities between recent events and those which led up to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 as indications of what could happen.
Secretary Blinken stated, “Then, as now, they intensified disinformation to paint Ukraine as the aggressor to justify pre-planned military action. We’ve seen that tactic again in just the past 24 hours. In recent weeks, we’ve also observed a massive spike, more than tenfold, in social media activity pushing anti-Ukrainian propaganda approaching levels last seen in the lead up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014.”
The U.S. and Ukraine signed a Charter on Strategic Partnership on November 10, 2021, which includes “The United States is committed to assist Ukraine with ongoing defense and security reforms and to continuing its robust training and exercises” and “The United States remains committed to enhancing Ukraine’s ability to secure and police its borders.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- That Russia would back off from its threats to Ukraine.
- For wisdom for President Biden’s administration including Secretaries Austin and Blinken in dealing with Russia and other hostile nations around the globe.
- For discernment for military advisors as they monitor the situation between Russia and Ukraine.
Sources: Reuters, State Department, Washington Examiner
