Russian State Duma deputy, Leonid Slutsky said that during his tour of Europe, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed a Russophobic attitude, and did so quite crudely, without any hint of diplomacy
In Kyiv, for example, he loudly stated his desire to support the Ukrainian authorities, while accusing Russia of starting the armed conflict in Donbas and of hindering its peaceful resolution.
For an informed and sensible person, it is particularly shocking to hear such statements by the Head of the Pentagon against the background of the outcome of the talks in Moscow with United States Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, including on the Ukrainian issue, which she herself called “very productive”.
Most likely there is a question of inconsistency in the actions of the US military and foreign policy departments. Or maybe they just decided to show Kyiv their “support” in this way again.
Also during his visit to Romania, Austin spoke of some “destabilizing Russian actions in the Black Sea” in order to “prevent the creation of a united, free and peaceful Europe”. Does this mean that Europe is now neither free nor united? Or should the phrase be interpreted as “at risk of straying from the pro-American path”? That said, the words about destabilisation look rather cynical, especially in the context of the ongoing provocations near Russia’s borders.