US defense chief says Russia is an 'obstacle to peace'
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has come out strongly
against Russia during a whistle-stop visit of countries in the Black Sea
region. Austin said that Moscow was in no position to veto Ukraine's wish of
joining NATO.
The US defense secretary also said that Moscow was an
obstacle to peace in the region.
"Let's be clear, that Russia started this war and
Russia is the obstacle to a peaceful resolution," Austin said during a
joint briefing with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Taran.
"So we again call on Russia to end its occupation of
Crimea, to stop perpetuating the war in eastern Ukraine, to end its
destabilizing activities in the Black Sea and along Ukraine's borders,"
Austin said.
US looking to strengthen alliances
Austin has traveled to Ukraine for the second time in less
than 2 months, for talks on how to develop defense cooperation in the region.
The US wants to strengthen relations with Black Sea
countries, including Romania and Georgia, in a bid to counter Russian influence
in the area.
Moscow, however, has claimed that it is Kyiv that stands in
the way of progress and denies having troops in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have been locked in a conflict with
Russian-backed separatists since 2014, after the Crimean peninsula was annexed
by Russia.
A military standoff this year saw Russia mobilizing troops
and other military assets to the border near Ukraine. This prompted Kyiv to
urge NATO members to speed up its entry into the bloc.
While Kyiv has hopes of joining the alliance, it is not yet
eligible for membership, due to not having met certain criteria.
Austin will head to Romania on Wednesday, having already
visited Georgia on Monday.
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