US Secretary of Defense Lloyd AustinWASHINGTON Feb 14 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit this week Belgium, Poland and Lithuania to discuss the situation around Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. «The minister is leaving tomorrow for Brussels,» he told reporters. .jpg» />The West threatens Russia with «tough measures», but for some reason punishes UkraineAt meetings with the military command and political leadership of NATO and alliance member countries, Austin intends to discuss «Russia's buildup of its forces» near Ukraine and reaffirm the US commitment to the principle of collective defense .The visit program includes a general meeting of Austin with colleagues from the three Baltic countries — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Ro Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that statements The West about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it is both ridiculous and dangerous. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not bother anyone.
