US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said Wednesday that Russia does not pose the same level of risk to the United States and the international order it attempts to maintain that China does in the long-term.

"Russia does not pose the challenge to the United States and the rules-based international order over the long-term that China does, but in the immediate-term it’s a very dangerous actor," Kahl claimed during an interview.

According to the Under Secretary, Pentagon’s national defense strategy classifies China as a "pacing threat" capable of challenging the US in a number of areas, including defense, technology, and economy.

However, Russia is classified in the strategy as an "acute threat" that poses a more immediate threat to the US and its desired world order, Kahl pointed out.

He also indicated that the US does not intend to further increase tensions with China amid strained relations due to a recent visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, affirming that his country will continue to show support for Taiwan in a manner consistent with historic norms, Kahl concluded.

Kissinger: US at edge of war with Russia, China

It is noteworthy that regarding this matter, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had considered that Washington is "at the edge of war" with Moscow and Beijing on the matters that the United States co-created.

"We are at the edge of war with Russia and China on issues which we partly created, without any concept of how this is going to end or what it is supposed to lead to," Kissinger told The Wall Street Journal.

Wondering whether the US could "manage the two adversaries by triangulating between them, as during the Nixon years," Kissinger explained that "You can’t just now say we’re going to split them off and turn them against each other."

"All you can do is not to accelerate the tensions and to create options, and for that you have to have some purpose," he added.

Kissinger pointed out that there is no choice but to take Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security concerns seriously, pointing out that it was a mistake for NATO to signal to Ukraine that it might eventually join the military alliance.

The former secretary of state also argued that Russia would retain Crimea and parts of Donbass as a result of a plausible settlement with Kiev.