U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday pinned the blame for the Ukraine war on Russian President Vladimir Putin, after a Chinese military officer suggested that NATO’s eastern expansion was responsible for the conflict.
Austin pointed out that Putin made a choice to “unlawfully invade” a neighbor, during a question and answer session at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore.
A senior colonel from China, Cao Yanzhong, asked Austin if the U.S. was planning to build an alliance in the Asia-Pacific akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, noting that the enlarged NATO had led to the Ukraine crisis.
“I respectfully disagree with your point that the expansion of NATO caused the Ukraine crisis,” Austin said in response to Cao’s comments, prompting applause from delegates in the audience.
“He [Putin] assumed that he could very quickly roll over his neighbor and annex the country — that was two-plus years ago,” the U.S. defense chief noted. “He has not achieved any of his strategic objectives to this point.”
Austin sold a vision of a sweeping network of partnerships the U.S. plans to forge with countries in the region in a keynote speech at the security summit, where more than 40 senior defense officials, along with delegates from 45 countries, are gathering this weekend to discuss security and geopolitical challenges in Asia.
“Today, we are witnessing a new convergence around nearly all aspects of security in the Indo-Pacific,” he said. “This new convergence is producing a stronger, more resilient, and more capable network of partnerships. And that is defining a new era of security in the Indo-Pacific.”
Austin said the convergence is not a single alliance or coalition, but “overlapping and complementary initiatives and institutions.” The defense chief emphasized the U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific, assuring that America is “all-in.”
“This new convergence is about coming together, not splitting apart. It isn’t about imposing one country’s will; it’s about summoning our sense of common purpose,” he said. “It isn’t about bullying or coercion; it’s about the free choices of sovereign states.”
Austin said that every country has the right to enjoy its own maritime resources and freely sail and operate wherever international law allows, noting the “harassment” that the Philippines has faced is “dangerous” amid maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., speaking at the security forum on Friday, condemned maritime aggression in the disputed waters, without naming China.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, putting it at odds with places including the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, which also have maritime claims in the disputed area.
A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague decided that China’s sweeping claims were unlawful, but Beijing has rejected the decision.
Relations between the Philippines and China have teetered on the brink of a new low in recent weeks, after incidents in which Chinese ships repeatedly harassed Philippine vessels.
“We all share an interest in ensuring that the South China Sea remains free and open,” Austin said on Saturday. “Peace and stability across this region are crucial for the whole world.”
The defense chief was also asked about the potential for the U.S. to help South Korea build nuclear-powered submarines, just as America has helped Australia in acquiring such vessels.
“This is a generational investment — this is no small endeavor,” Austin said. “We’ve just started down this path with Australia, highly doubtful that we could take on another initiative of this type anytime in the near future.”
