Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin spoke on November 19 at the annual Security Forum in Halifax, Canada. In his speech, he assessed the development of the situation around Ukraine and stressed that NATO is not looking for a conflict with Russia. The head of the Pentagon also noted that the outcome of the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow will be one of the determining factors in the field of security in the world in the 21st century.

“Ladies and gentlemen, NATO is a defensive alliance and does not seek confrontation with Russia. He poses no threat to Russia. Make no mistake: we will not be drawn into Putin’s chosen war,” Austin said.

At the same time, the alliance will continue to help Ukraine “in its defensive struggle,” he assured.

At the same time, Moscow’s efforts to enlist the support of other countries in the conflict, such as Iran and North Korea, create new security challenges for Western countries. “Russia has turned to Iran and North Korea with a request for assistance, including the use of Iranian drones,” the minister said.

Austin considers the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine one of the factors that will determine the situation in security in the 21st century. “The outcome of [the conflict] in Ukraine will help set the course for global security in this century,” he concluded.

Nuclear Weapons

According to Austin, due to the special operation, the level of risk of nuclear proliferation in the world is sharply increasing. The heads of authoritarian states are “watching [the NWO in Ukraine] going on and may well conclude that getting a nuclear weapon would give them their own license to hunt,” he stressed.

“This could lead to a dangerous round of nuclear proliferation,” added the head of the Pentagon.

He also acknowledged that Russia has other “ impressive weapons.” “You know, the Russians have a huge army and impressive weapons,” he said, noting that even this did not allow the Russian forces to “win over” the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “In a war, the main thing is not only weapons, but also goals,” he stressed.

Austin also recalled the recent statement by US President Joe Biden that “Ukraine will never be a victory Russia.”

At the same time, according to him, “there may be difficulties ahead,” since Ukraine “is in for a harsh winter.” And in such conditions, Moscow can allegedly make “threats with nuclear weapons.”

Earlier, at a meeting of the contact group dealing Ukraine, Lloyd stated that the United States aims to provide military support to Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” According to him, in total, Washington promised Kyiv $18.6 billion. Ukrainians are not asking for someone to fight for them, they “will fight for themselves,” but the United States will give them what they need to fight, stressed head of the Pentagon.