U.S. says Russia's war in Ukraine offers preview to potential global tyranny

He warned of the risks of global nuclear proliferation. "Putin's fellow autocrats are watching. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation," Austin said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said failure to help Ukraine secure its own future could lead to a "world of tyranny and turmoil," in a speech on Saturday that sought to lay out the stakes in the war for the international community.

Austin's remarks, delivered at a security forum in Canada, were some of his most powerful to date on Russia's nearly nine-month-old invasion. He warned of the risks of global nuclear proliferation.

"Putin's fellow autocrats are watching. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation," Austin said.