Ukraine is important to U.S. security for four reasons, particularly because Putin's war threatens Europe's security and also challenges NATO allies, said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd James Austin III.

Austin said during his speech at the Diplomatic Academy under the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Monday that Ukraine is important to U.S. security for four clear reasons. First - Putin's war threatens Europe's security. Second - Putin's war challenges the U.S. NATO allies. Third - Putin's war attacks our shared values. And fourth - Putin's war is a frontal assault on the rules-based international order that keeps us safe.

As the Pentagon chief emphasized, in the face of aggression, the price of principle is always insignificant compared to the price of capitulation.

For those who think American leadership is expensive, consider the cost of American retreat, Austin said.

He also noted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine did not go as planned by the Kremlin, and after 970 days of war, Putin has not achieved a single strategic goal.

As the Pentagon chief noted President Zelensky did not flee, and Ukraine did not fall. Instead, Russia paid a staggering price for Putin’s imperial folly. Russian troops have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties since February 2022, he added.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as Austin emphasized, Russian losses in the first year of Putin’s war alone exceeded Moscow’s losses in all of its conflicts since World War II combined. Also, as the head of the Pentagon pointed out, Russia spent more than $200 billion to support its invasion.

The defense minister noted that when a permanent member of the UN Security Council tries to deprive more than 40 million people of self-government, the entire world feels the blow.