Jim Molan’s warning to Australia about US in fighting against threats like China, Russia
One of Australia’s most experienced war veterans has warned, despite our distance, the Ukraine-Russia remains a risk to our nation. This is why.
World
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A “distracted” US military on a Russian-Ukraine war footing put Australia in “a perilous” position to China’s expansionism in the Pacific, the ADF’s former top soldier has warned.
As the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine still looms large, former Army Major General turned senator Jim Molan said it was time NATO alone stood up for stability and Western ideals in Europe.
Senator Molan said the days of always looking to the US to fight multiple wars were over.
His warning came as the US and NATO intelligence pointed to Russia still building up troops around Ukraine just 24 hours after President Vladimir Putin claimed his forces were pulling back and he wanted to negotiate a solution to the crisis.
The US warned that Russia was attempted to create a pretext for an invasion with a false claim both the US and Ukraine were developing chemical and biological weapons for a genocide campaign against Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s east.
NATO defence ministers also said there was no indication any of the 130,000 Russian personnel surrounding Ukraine had pulled back.
Senator Molan, one of Australia’s most experienced war veterans, said the conflict was far from over and Australia, while on the other side of the world, remained at risk.
He said the US military national strategy had always been its capability to fight two major wars and a minor conflict at the same time.
But since the end of the Cold War in 1991 they cut their forces back by 30 to 50 per cent, which meant it could only fight one war and hold against another.
“The US now has two enemies, China and Russia, and that’s why it’s not deploying much,” he said.
“NATO has got to look after Europe, NATO has got to get used to that because the American military is not big enough to look after Europe and look after China,” he said.
“If they (US) now decide to send ships and planes to Europe they have got to take them from somewhere and so they’ll take them from the Middle East or the Pacific and that means Iran can do what it likes in the Middle East and China can do what it likes in the Pacific,” he said.
“This is America’s worse case if it has two enemies and the capacity to fight only one and that leaves Australia in a perilous position.”
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has previously warned that China and Russia’s recent declaring a “no limits” partnership and under the cover of a Russian Ukraine invasion, it could spark an aggressive Chinese push on Taiwan.
He said the US could be distracted and drawn away from the Pacific.
“There are flow on effects,” he said of the threat of war in Ukraine.
‘PROVE THE PULLOUT’, BIDEN TELLS RUSSIA
US President Joe Biden said a Russian invasion of Ukraine remains “very much” a possibility, challenging the Kremlin to prove it has ordered a meaningful number of troops back to barracks.
Mr Biden said the United States had not yet verified any withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine’s borders, and that “analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position”.
He warned the US was “ready to go” with crippling sanctions if Russia invaded, but in an address from The White House, said, “We should give the diplomacy every chance to succeed’.”
He then gave a message to the Russian people.
“To the citizens of Russia: you are not our enemy and I do not believe you want a bloody, destructive war against Ukraine,” he said.
His comments came as the Kremlin claimed some deployed forces were beginning to return to their bases, after a build-up of an estimated 130,000 troops on the Ukraine border spurred fears of an invasion.
“Units of the Southern and Western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and today they will begin moving to their military garrisons,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova went one step further, lampooning the West in a tweet.
“February 15, 2022, will go down in history as the day Western war propaganda failed. Humiliated and destroyed without a single shot fired,” she tweeted, in reference to White House claims an invasion would start from that day.
Ukraine’s foreign affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded with scepticism.
“We in Ukraine have a rule: we don’t believe what we hear, we believe what we see,” he wrote on Twitter.
“If a real withdrawal follows these statements, we will believe in the beginning of a real de-escalation.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in a final move to avert a war that could engulf the whole of Europe.
He said Russia “of course” did not want war and appeared willing to look at solutions to ease tensions.
The “solutions” was a reference to Moscow seeking a guarantee Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO, claiming membership would challenge the security of its citizens and, ironically, was likely to see Western troops massed on Russia’s border.
Mr Scholz said any membership to NATO by Ukraine was “not the order of the day”.
“Everyone has to take a step back and realise that we cannot have a military conflict over a question that is not on the agenda,” he said.
Mr Putin in a joint press conference with Mr Scholz said: “We are ready to work further together. We are ready to go down the negotiations track.
But on assurance about Ukraine and NATO, Mr Putin was sceptical.
“They are telling us it won’t happen tomorrow,” Mr Putin said.
“Well, when will it happen? The day after tomorrow? What does it change for us in the historic perspective? Nothing.
“We want to solve this issue now as part of negotiation process through peaceful means.”
Meanwhile, while a shot had yet to be fired, the Ukraine military was on Wednesday under cyber attack, with its defence ministry and two major banks targeted, affecting payments and banking apps.
Kiev blamed Moscow for the assault, saying it was meant to cause mass disruption.
Australia’s $7 billion move amid ‘arms race’
Australia is spending billions on defence upgrades as it contests a regional “arms race”.
50 Cent speaks after Diddy accused of raping a 13yo
50 Cent has spoken for the first time about Sean “Diddy” Combs who has been accused of allegedly drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl at an awards after party in New York.