Tillerson slams Russia’s malicious tactics against US

Russia has often employed "malicious" tactics against the US and Europe to "drive them apart" and undermine their political and economic successes, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. In a major foreign policy speech on US relations with Europe under Trump's 'America First' foreign policy, Tillerson pledged that sanctions against Russia will remain in place until it helps restore peace in Ukraine. Ahead of his week-long visit to Europe, Tillerson described Russia as one of the "major challenges" facing Europe and the US.

Europe and the US seek a normalised relationship with Russia, he said. However, Russia, Tillerson said, has shown it seeks to define a new post-Soviet global balance of power, one in which Russia, by virtue of its nuclear arsenal, seeks to impose its will on others. Russia does so by force or by partnering with regimes who show a disregard for their own citizens, as is the case with (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad's continuous use of chemical weapons against his own people, he alleged. The dissolution of the Soviet Union liberalised Russian society and created new trade opportunities that benefit Russians, Europeans, and Americans, the top US diplomat. "But Russia has often employed malicious tactics against the US and Europe to drive us apart, weaken our confidence, and undermine the political and economic successes that we have achieved together since the end of the Cold War," Tillerson said.