The United States will not be dragged into Putin's war of choice, but it will stand by Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggression, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said.

"As this administration has made very clear: we will not be dragged into Putin's reckless war of choice. But we will stand by Ukraine as it fights for its sovereignty and security. We will defend every inch of NATO and we will continue to strengthen NATO's collective defense and deterrence," he said at the NATO Public Forum in Washington on Wednesday.

Austin noted that since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine NATO is now "larger than ever."

"Our new Allies in Finland and Sweden have brought the Alliance's membership to 32. And make no mistake: Putin's war is not the result of NATO enlargement. Putin's war is the cause of NATO enlargement," he said.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense also emphasized that the United States will deepen cooperation in support of Ukraine's self-defense.

"As another sign of our deep commitment to Ukraine's self-defense, a coalition of countries has been working tirelessly to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. And today President Biden alongside the Dutch and Danish prime ministers is proud to announce that the transfer of F-16s is officially underway and Ukraine will be flying F-16s this summer," he said.