Austin: US goal to solve Ukraine crisis via talks

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underscored on Tuesday that Washington’s goal is to have the crisis between Russia and Ukraine solved through diplomatic talks and “address these issues in a way that we don’t get into conflict.”

Speaking in an interview for Defense One, Austin expressed his concerns about the matter now that Russia has positioned “battalion tactical groups around Ukraine in multiple different geographies around those borders to the south, the west, and to the northeast as well.” Still, he added that, if an invasion occurs, “the need to reinforce the confidence and reassurance of our NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] allies and our eastern flank allies would be real, and the US would be prepared to provide that kind of reassurance.”