Austin: Putin’s war is not a result, but a cause of NATO expansion

– Russia was not provoked. Russia was not under threat. Russia was not attacked. Instead, one man chose war. And Putin’s war is not the result of NATO expansion. It is the reason for the expansion of NATO. And now, because of the Kremlin’s longing for a vanished empire, Europe is facing its worst security crisis since the end of World War II, Austin told the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, over the weekend.

He pointed out that as a member of the UN Security Council, Russia is “waging a war to deprive 43 million people of democracy.”

– Putin’s war gave everyone an insight into the world of tyranny and turmoil in which no one wants to live, he added.

Austin said NATO allies had strengthened their eastern flank and the United States had increased the total number of troops deployed in Europe from 80,000 to more than 100,000.

– We will not be involved in Putin’s war. But we will stand by Ukraine as it struggles to defend its citizens and sovereignty… We will support Ukraine’s right to defend itself for as long as necessary, the Pentagon chief said.