US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Sunday that Ukraine could see “a significant amount of combat power moving too quickly to occupy Kiev” if Russia decides to invade the country.
Austin indicated – in televised statements – reported by the American newspaper “The Hill” – that the international community should “look at what lies on the other side of the border.”
Ukraine” in order to realize what kind of force Russia would use in the event of an invasion of Ukraine.
“In terms of the kind of things that might happen (from attacks), one just has to look at what is on the other side of the Ukrainian border,” the defense minister continued, referring specifically to what was seen of tanks.
armored vehicles, artillery and missile forces, describing the situation as “potentially very dangerous”.
“If (Russian President Vladimir Putin) uses such combative force, it will certainly lead to massive civilian casualties, which in turn will create a tragedy, unfortunately, in terms of the influx of refugees and displaced persons,” Austin said.
When asked about the possibility that Putin is deceiving Western countries, Austin said: “I don’t think so, and I don’t believe it’s a hoax…I think he mustered the right kinds of forces, the kinds you would need to launch a successful invasion.”