WASHINGTON, September 17. /TASS/. The UK authorities have suggested that the US and Australia potentially direct the AUKUS military alliance against Russia, UK prime minister’s special representative Stephen Lovegrove said.
According to him, London is calling on Washington and Canberra to consider the Euro-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific regions together in this regard. "It [AUKUS] is often characterized as predominantly an Indo-Pacific endeavor, and, of course, it is very relevant for the Indo-Pacific. That was the original motivation from the Australians coming to talk to both us and the US, but for the UK, although our boats do go down there occasionally, <…> the reality is that most of our boats are going to be in the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the High North," the envoy noted. "It is artificial to pretend that the Indo-Pacific and the North Atlantic are completely divorced theaters [of operations]," Lovegrove emphasized during a panel discussion at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (also known as CSIS, an organization designated as undesirable in Russia). According to the envoy, London wants to see "more boats, better boats in those areas."
In turn, Australian ambassador to Washington Greg Moriarty revealed that over 100 of his country’s military sailors are currently undergoing training in the US. Over 140 Australian military sailors have already undergone such training on American nuclear submarines, the diplomat added.
The trilateral AUKUS pact was signed in 2021 under former US President Joe Biden. This alliance provides, in particular, for the construction of nuclear submarines for Canberra and a range of other joint military development projects. Under Biden, the White House suggested that this bloc could eventually be expanded to include US partners in Europe and Asia.
Russia and China have pointed out that Western countries are creating an Asian counterpart to NATO. Beijing has repeatedly emphasized that the true goal of US strategy in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions is to "encircle China," including by creating an "Asia-Pacific version of NATO" and undermining regional integration.