US Warns Europe, Says Russia's Security Threat Is Bigger Than China's

Illustration of a Russian military convoy. (Wikimedia Commons/Mstyslav Chernov)

JAKARTA - Russia may be a source of greater security challenges for the United States and Europe in the short term than China, said US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl.

"In the years to come, Russia could actually represent the main security challenge we face in the military domain for the United States and of course for Europe," Kahl said at the Baltic Military Conference held in Lithuania, citing Sputnik News September 18.

"Russia is an increasingly assertive adversary that remains determined to increase its global influence, playing a disruptive role on the global stage, including through efforts to divide the West."

Kahl said China may be a "fast-paced threat" to Washington and its allies. Russia may become a bigger problem in the short term given its aggressiveness in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and cyberspace.

"Too often, Moscow erodes transparency and predictability, uses military force to achieve its goals, supports proxy groups to sow chaos and doubt, undermines the rules-based international order," he said, adding the US continues to closely monitor Russia's military activity along NATO's eastern flank and in the Black Sea region

According to Kahl, the US will interact with Russia from a position of collective power, noting US military forces in Europe remain strong and flexible, ensuring "credible and effective deterrence".

At the same time, the United States has not ruled out the option to resume dialogue with Moscow, if the Russian government changes its behavior, Pentagon officials said.

For your information, the Baltic Military Conference is an annual event on security organized by the Lithuanian defense ministry and the Military Academy of General Jonas Zemaitis.

This year, the conference took the theme 'The West in a New Era of Great Power Competition' and focused on the transatlantic response to the security challenges posed by Russia and China.