US defense chief: Russia ‘uncoiling and poised to strike’

By LIUDAS DAPKUS
Associated Press

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has assured the three Baltic nations that they would not be on their own if faced with security threats from Russia. But he stopped short of promising a permanent deployment of American troops in the former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Austin was in Lithuania on Saturday as a Russian troop buildup and other actions have Western officials saying that Moscow could invade Ukraine at any time. Austin said the Russians “are uncoiling and are now poised to strike.” Lithuanian officials voiced concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged ambitions could expand to the entire region.