Austin disputes China's claim of NATO expansion triggering Ukraine war

U.S. defense chief pins blame on Russia's Putin, sells vision of Indo-Pacific 'convergence'

20240601 Austin

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on June 1. © Reuters

DYLAN LOH, Nikkei staff writer

SINGAPORE -- 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.

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