The former US ambassador to NATO for four years, Kay Bailey Hutchison, has warned that a clash between the United States of America and Russia becomes much more likely if the US leaves Ukraine, reports the DPA agency, quoted by Agerpres.

“If (Russia) joins a NATO country, we’re at war,” said Hutchison, a three-term Republican senator from Texas, amid growing reluctance among the Republican Party to continue military support for Ukraine.

Some of the candidates for the seat of the president of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, have promised to cut aid to Kyiv, as have some of the US presidential candidates, DPA notes.

During a debate at the University of Texas on Wednesday, Hutchison and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed that it is imperative that the US help Ukraine and ensure that Russia is not encouraged to continue its belligerent “adventure.”

“In our opinion, Putin believes that he can survive us. That he can hold out longer than the Ukrainians. So that he can withstand the support that Ukraine receives. And it’s very important to demystify that idea,” Blinken said during the 50-minute debate in Austin, the Texas state capital.

Hutchison represented the US at NATO for much of Donald Trump’s presidency, while he has repeatedly threatened to cut the alliance’s commitment, accusing the allies of shifting the burden of their security onto US taxpayers by spending too little on defense.

The former US ambassador to NATO says that the Russians will not stop at Ukraine

“One of the complaints we’ve had sometimes in the past when we’ve worked around the world is why are we carrying all the burden? Why aren’t others doing the right thing?” Blinken also said on Wednesday, adding that in Ukraine “the rest of the world is doing a little more than we are.” “So we have a lot of burden sharing,” he said.

According to Article 5 of the Treaty of the North Atlantic Treaty, a possible attack on Poland, Romania or any other member state will be considered an attack on each member of the Alliance, the DPA agency reminds, provided that Russian declarative threats in this regard quickly multiplied after the start of the invasion of Ukraine last year.

“The Ukrainian people are so brave that they deserve our support. If we can do that with them, there will be no need to send troops into a larger conflict,” Hutchison said, indicating that Vladimir Putin’s desire is to restore Russian dominance lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“They (Russians) will not bypass NATO countries. If we stand firm, as your administration is doing, and I agree with that, we will protect what we have and make sure our troops are not involved,” the former Republican senator told Blinken.

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