Ladies and gentlemen, Russia chose war. Russia chose aggression. But Ukraine chose to fight back. And Ukraine chose to defend itself. And the world came together to help.
President Biden has rallied nations of goodwill, as he put it, “to stand against the global politics of fear and coercion.” And ever since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24, countries from around the world have rallied behind some clear first principles.
And those first principles are that countries don’t get to invade their peaceful neighbors. Autocrats don’t get to redraw borders by force. And the imperial ambition of bullies doesn’t outweigh the sovereign rights of U.N. member states. ...
The outcome of the war in Ukraine will help determine the course of global security in this young century. And those of us in North America don’t have the option of sitting this one out.
Stability and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic are at stake. You know, the U.S. trading relationship with the European Union is the largest in the world. So when an aggressor manufactures a huge security crisis in Europe, it hits home for everyday Americans and Canadians. ...
So today, I’d like to talk about four reasons why Ukraine matters to all of us. First, Putin’s war of choice is a direct threat to European security. Second, Russian aggression is a clear challenge to our NATO allies. Russia’s deliberate cruelty is an attack on our shared values—and on the rule of law. And finally, Russia’s invasion tears at the rules-based international order that keeps us all secure. ...
Russia’s invasion offers a preview of a possible world of tyranny and turmoil that none of us want to live in. And it’s an invitation to an increasingly insecure world haunted by the shadow of nuclear proliferation. Because Putin’s fellow autocrats are watching. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation.
Putin’s war of choice shows the whole world the dangers of disorder. That’s the security challenge that we face. It is urgent, and it is historic. But we’re going to meet it.
'Why Ukraine Matters' Remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at the Halifax I
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III delivered the keynote address at the Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax, Canada.
www.defense.gov
We have a choice. We can meet the threats to Western values and the post-WWII order. Or we can succumb to tyranny.
The tankies choose fascism.
