General Mark Milley, chairman of the United States executive council, warned US enemies not to think that the country is weak or unwilling to take action to protect its interests after leaving Afghanistan.
Opponents argue that US anti-immigration means leaving Afghanistan as a sign of weakness and a lack of passion for conflict after twenty years of war. That debate has continued as Russia sent it about 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.
Asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning a coup, Milley refused to vote for Russia, but warned his enemies not to be complacent and to have a negative view of the US.
“It would be a mistake for any country to get the key points by following the US departure from Afghanistan and doing the same and applying it for other purposes,” Milley said on a trip from Seoul to Washington. “The United States is a difficult country for other countries to understand at times.”
Milley’s comments came amid growing tensions between the US and Russia in Ukraine. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the US, did strong speech and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Thursday, just one day after warning that the invasion could lead to “dangerous”, as well as “extremely costly” measures. Russia denies any plans to sue.
In Ukraine, Milley declined to comment on what the US thinks, but said, “a lot of diplomatic, economic and military issues exist, depending on what and whether Russia will take action”.
“It will look like the military we are seeing on the Russian side on the Russian border is becoming more and more brutal,” he said. “We do not know yet. But it is important, and it is real. ”
Concerns about the Russian invasion went inside Epulo when Russian troops stationed thousands of troops on the eastern border of Ukraine and the Crimea, which Moscow captured in 2014. But Milley said the recent arrests, along with other incidents, show that Russia played a key role in the war.
“In the past, it has been a bit of a chore. The biggest difference between here and April is just talking,” Milley said. “
Milley said the Pentagon had prepared a lot of challenges but did not say anything about Ukraine. He emphasized that too negotiations it was an important solution to the problem.
“Vulnerable issues in Ukraine. . . can and should be resolved amicably, without resorting to violence or war. ”
Speaking in Seoul on Thursday he and Milley met with their South Korean counterparts, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin denied to say whether Washington would threaten to retaliate against the military to block Moscow.
“I don’t think so. “I would like to say that we will continue to use best practices to address any issues that may arise,” Austin said.
Follow Demetrius Sevastopulo on Twitter: @Dimi
