WASHINGTON, March 2. /TASS/. The United States seeks stability and predictability between NATO and Russia in the Euro-Atlantic area, a US Department of State official told TASS.

When asked to comment on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remark that Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin’s statement about the risk of a NATO-Russia conflict was evidence that the US did have such a plan, the official claimed that "NATO is a defensive alliance."

"The US seeks stability and predictability between NATO and Russia in the Euro-Atlantic area," the Pentagon official added.

Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee, the US Secretary of State expressed confidence that if Ukraine fell, "NATO will be in a fight with Russia." The top Russian diplomat said, addressing a diplomatic forum in Turkey’s Antalya, that in a Freudian slip, Austin "blurted out what they [the Americans] have in mind.".