During a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, United States (US) Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called Russia an obstacle to peace in Crimea due to its role in perpetuating destabilising activities in the Black Sea and along Ukraine’s borders.
“Let’s be clear, Russia started this war, and Russia is the obstacle to a peaceful resolution. And they can start by respecting Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
In a joint press conference with Ukrainian Defence Minister Andrii Taran, Austin urged Russia “to halt its persistent cyberattacks and other malign activities against the United States and its allies and partners.”
However, Moscow has denied carrying out any cyberattacks and instead holds Kyiv responsible for the lack of peace.
Furthermore, Austin asserted that “US support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering.” “Ukraine, as you have heard me saying earlier, has the right to decide its future foreign policy, and we expect they will be able to do that without any outside interference,” he said. The diplomat added that the US will continue to “work together with our partner to make sure that right things are at place, to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself and protect its territories.”
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and was responsible for the outbreak of a separatist insurgency in Eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 14,000 people. Since then, the US has been one of Ukraine’s most ardent supporters.
“Since 2014, United States has committed more than $2.5 Billion to support Ukraine’s forces so that they can preserve their country’s territorial integrity and secure its borders and territorial waters,” Austin highlighted.
Ukraine, however, continues to seek US support to gain membership to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Although there is significant pressure from Western nations, NATO remains reluctant to offer Ukraine membership despite military engagement with the Organisation. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg recently said that NATO would only extend an offer for membership once Ukraine ensures that there is civilian-political control over defence and security institutions and once it demonstrates a firm commitment to tackling corruption.
Russia has said that such an offer would cross a “red line.” However, Austin was sure to make certain that “no third country has a veto over NATO’s membership decisions.”
Earlier this year, Russia increased its troops near the Ukrainian border, the most significant build-up since 2014. However, Russia pulled back its troops to avoid a military confrontation.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been at an all-time high this year since 2014 and are likely to worsen due to the former’s recent diplomatic fallout with NATO. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the suspension of all diplomatic ties with NATO in retaliation to the alliance’s decision to expel eight members of the Russian mission earlier this month on espionage charges.
Against this backdrop, Austin’s remarks in Kyiv are sure to drive another wedge in conflict resolution measures.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin Calls Russia an Obstacle to Peace in Crimea
Austin condemned Russia’s destabilising activities in the Black Sea and along Ukraine’s borders and reaffirmed US support for Ukraine.
October 20, 2021
Ukrainian Defence Minister Andriy Taran (L) and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin SOURCE: REUTERS