 Pentagon Chief warns American troops may be involved in the war in Ukraine. If Russia succeeds in defeating Ukraine in the war, the aggressor country will not stop and may challenge NATO member states, as Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin says at Senate hearings. He was asked whether the decision not to provide Ukraine with the necessary assistance could increase the likelihood that American troops would eventually be drawn into the war. Of course, if Putin succeeds, he will not stop at Ukraine. Sooner or later, he will challenge NATO and we will find ourselves in a war with shooting. Austin replied. Russia has developed legal mechanisms for reforming the Leningrad Military District as part of wide-scale military reforms. The Institute for the Study of War reported that this may indicate preparations for a conflict with NATO. U.S. Secretary of Defense and State Secretary Anthony Blinken argued at Senate hearings that the United States should immediately provide assistance to both Israel and Ukraine as the administration's request for $105 billion in aid for these countries faced obstacles in the divided Congress. Of this amount, $61.3 billion is proposed for Ukraine and $14.3 billion for Israel. Meanwhile, the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives proposed not to combine new aid to Ukraine and Israel into one package. He wants the House to vote on these initiatives separately. The Republican leader in the U.S. Senate Mitch McConnell advocated providing aid to Ukraine and Israel within a single package.