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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not achieved any of his strategic objectives during the war, but Ukraine “stands unbowed — and even strengthened.”
Austin said this in a column for Foreign Affairs, Ukrinform reports.
According to him, Ukraine matters to U.S. security for four blunt reasons. Putin’s war is a direct threat to European security, a clear challenge to American NATO allies, an attack on their shared values, and a “frontal assault” on the rules-based international order.
“Yet after nearly 1,000 days of war, Putin hasn’t achieved a single one of his strategic objectives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t flee. Kyiv didn’t fall. And Ukraine didn’t fold,” Austin said.
Instead, Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin’s imperial folly, with hundreds of thousands of Russian casualties since February 2022 and more than $200 billion squandered. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russian losses in just the first year of Putin’s war were more than Moscow’s losses in all of its conflicts since World War II — combined.
“Ukraine has suffered terribly at Putin’s hands. But as I saw again in Kyiv last week, Ukraine stands unbowed — and even strengthened. Ukraine’s fight began with soldiers setting tank traps on the streets of Kyiv and ordinary citizens making Molotov cocktails to defend their homes. It continues today with a battle-tested Ukrainian military and security forces — and a roaring Ukrainian defense industrial base. Ukrainian factories are now pumping out some of the best drones in the world, and experienced Ukrainian air defenders are protecting their forces and their families,” Austin said.
According to him, the spirit of Ukraine has inspired the world. “It has reminded us all to never take our freedom for granted. We fully understand the moral chasm between aggressor and defender. We will not be gulled by the frauds and falsehoods of the Kremlin’s apologists. And we will continue to defend the Ukrainian people’s right to live in security and freedom,” the minister said.
He added that Putin’s assault on Ukraine is a warning. “It is a sneak preview of a world built by tyrants and thugs — a chaotic, violent world carved into spheres of influence; a world where bullies trample their smaller neighbors; and a world where aggressors force free people to live in fear. So we face a hinge in history. We can continue to stand firm against Putin’s aggression — or we can let Putin have his way and condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a far bloodier and more dangerous world,” Austin said.
Therefore, he said, it is important to continue to squarely face the specter of today’s aggressive Russia, backed by other autocrats, from North Korea to Iran.
“Order does not preserve itself. And the principles of freedom, sovereignty, and human rights do not uphold themselves. So U.S. President Joe Biden has chosen the path of mutual responsibility and common security. Ukraine does not belong to Putin. Ukraine belongs to the Ukrainian people. And Moscow will never prevail in Ukraine. Putin thought Ukraine would surrender. He was wrong. Putin thought our democracies would cave. He was wrong. Putin thought the free world would cower. He was wrong. And Putin thinks he will win. He is wrong,” Austin said.
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