The United States is taking steps to avoid a possible nuclear rivalry with Russia. This was announced by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
During a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee, he was asked about the Pentagon’s reasons for avoiding escalation with Moscow, such as canceling the previously delayed launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile and refusing to supply some weapons to Ukraine.
“I would like to emphasize that one of my main responsibilities, my job, is to prevent escalation and ensure that we do not find ourselves in a situation of nuclear rivalry with Russia. If this can be avoided. We are not afraid of anything. President. Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and you see evidence that we have quickly deployed troops in Europe and on NATO’s eastern flank, that we have done and continue to do to help Ukraine, this is not a military issue, but the sanctions we have imposed on Putin will affect its economy for many years,” the minister said.
Earlier, Austin said that the abolition of the test launch of the missile will not hinder the development of the program itself.