The situation with the hospitalization of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is important, but does not require additional security from Russia. He announced this on February 12 TASS Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov.
“This is a moment that has some significance, but from the point of view of the overall context of bilateral relations, this is not some extraordinary turn that requires additional measures – on our part, at least – or additional clarification,” he said.
Ryabkov emphasized that closed contacts between the United States and the Russian Federation have been reduced to almost zero and are sporadic.
Earlier in the day, the Pentagon press office said Austin was admitted to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. However, the length of Austin's stay in the hospital is unknown.
On Jan. 1, Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with complications from a routine medical procedure. The fact that he was in the hospital was hidden from the public for five days.
The minister was transferred from the intensive care unit on January 8, but doctors did not discharge him due to illness. At the same time, the Pentagon announced that the head of the department was not going to leave his post. The next day, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center announced that Austin had been diagnosed with prostate cancer last December.
As a result of the cover-up of the hospitalization, Austin came under fire. Thus, former US Vice President Mike Pence called the secret hospitalization of the Secretary of Defense unacceptable and reproached him for negligence, pointing out that even the head of the White House, Joe Biden, did not know about what happened. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Mike Rogers, announced the launch of an official investigation into the reasons why the Secretary of Defense hid the fact of hospitalization and did not report the inability to perform duties.
On February 1, Austin made a statement in which he admitted that he was wrong in informing the country's leadership about the state of his health. The head of the Pentagon apologized to his colleagues and US citizens. On February 11, Austin temporarily transferred duties as Secretary of Defense to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, due to hospitalization.
#Ryabkov #commented #hospitalization #Pentagon #Austin
