‘Pot Calling Kettle Black’: Lloyd Austin’s ‘Russian Aggression’ Speech Evokes Snickers Online
US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday, November 19, 2022. Screengrab of DoD Twitter video.
The US Secretary of Defense gave a speech at the Halifax Security Forum on Saturday, blaming Russia for the deadly Ukrainian missile incident in Poland, and reiterating the importance of continued Western support for Kiev as it prepares for a “harsh winter.”Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin made an impassioned, platitude-filled address in Canada, filled with references to “Russia’s aggression” in Ukraine, and vows to continue to support Kiev as “an investment in our security and prosperity.”“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 UN member states,” Austin said.Reiterating that US support “for the forces of freedom in Ukraine” would “hold fast in any season and any storm,” the secretary emphasized that “free people always refuse to replace an open order of rules and rights with one dictated by force and fear…Because rules matter, and sovereignty matters, and freedom matters.”
Austin accused Russia and China of seeking “a world where might makes right, where disputes are resolved by force and where autocrats can stamp out the flame of freedom. As President Biden said this week after his meeting with President Xi, there need not be a Cold War, but we remain clear-eyed about the China challenge.”
Commenting on the deadly missile incident in Poland this week, which the US and NATO have acknowledged was a Ukrainian air defense missile that went off its expected flight path after initially blaming Moscow, Austin found a way to blame Russia anyway. “The tragic and troubling explosion in Poland this week reminded the whole world of the recklessness of Putin’s war of choice,” he said.
Russia’s Special Operation in UkraineNATO Admits Zelensky ‘Openly Lied’ About Poland Strike as Observers Slam Kiev for Pushing for WW317 November, 14:59 GMT“Ladies and gentlemen, NATO is a defensive alliance. It does not seek confrontation with Russia. It poses no threat to Russia. Make no mistake: We will not be dragged into Putin’s war of choice. But we will stand by Ukraine as it fights to defend itself, and we will defend every inch of NATO territory, and we will continue to strengthen NATO’s collective defense and deterrence,” Austin said.
RussiaGorbachev Was Promised Non-Expansion of NATO, His Mistake Was to Believe it, Ex-US Official Says31 August, 01:22 GMTThe DoD posted excerpts from Austin’s speech to social media, and some of its parts, the bits about the US’s support for the principle that countries “don’t get to invade” others and about Washington’s support for “sovereign rights of UN member states,” raising eyebrows online“Should we talk about Somalia, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan,” one person quipped, referring to some of the US wars of aggression across the globe in recent years. “Pot calling the kettle black,” another wrote. “RIP Hyperbole,” another person added, posting a map of the hundreds of US bases spread across the globe. “Till now, China never started a war, neither in Serbia, nor in Iraq or Libya…Who is using force to settle the international ‘order’?” one person asked.“Imagine [if] NATO were held to the same standards? And people like Victoria Nuland and Hunter Biden didn’t do exactly what you’re talking about,” another suggested.“I remember the days when the USA fought the Nazis instead of funding them,” another wrote, referring to the presence of ultra-nationalist fighting formations within the ranks of Ukrainian forces, and the systematic campaign by the post 2014-coup government of the indoctrination of young Ukrainians to hate Russians.One person trolled Austin with an “I stand with Raytheon” banner against the background of a Ukrainian flag, an apparent reference to the defense secretary’s work as a Raytheon lobbyist before being tapped to serve as Pentagon chief by the Biden administration.Others asked if Washington could focus on issues closer to home.“Jeez. Can we have a secure southern border? Why are you so worried about Ukraine?” one person asked. “Laundered money, FTX, political parties, taxes, ‘theft without representation’, homeless vets, inflation 8%, gas $5…what happened to this country DOD?” another pondered.
EconomyFTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried is Under Constant Observation by Bahama Authorities… in Luxury Hotel13 November, 13:06 GMT
