WASHINGTON, October 31. /TASS/. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin believes that Russia may challenge NATO in the future, he said at a hearing of the US Senate Appropriations Committee.

"There's no question in my mind that sooner or later, [Mr Putin] will challenge NATO, and we'll find ourselves in a shooting match," he said.

Austin also argued that if Russia's special military operation in Ukraine succeeds, it will allegedly jeopardize the security of neighboring countries, especially Baltic nations.