U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin invoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a reminder that security or prosperity in Asia “can’t be taken for granted” in a speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense talks in Singapore, during which he also discussed tensions with China.
“Russia’s shocking aggression” shows “people everywhere how dangerous our world would become if big countries could just invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity,” he said. “Russia’s invasion shows us all the dangers of disorder and the cost of chaos.”
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
U.S. rebuffs cease-fire calls in its strategy for Ukraine resilience: Laying out the long-term U.S. strategy for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said for a “just and lasting peace,” Russia must be prepared to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and prepare to face accountability for war crimes, Missy Ryan reports. He rebuffed cease-fires or concessions of Ukrainian land in any “land for peace” formulas, saying they would represent a “Potemkin peace.”
“A cease-fire that simply freezes current lines in place — and enables Putin to consolidate control over the territory he has seized, and rest, rearm, and re-attack — is not a just and lasting peace,” Blinken said. “It would legitimize Russia’s land grab. It would reward the aggressor and punish the victim.”