Defense chief rejects stronger Russia ties
U.S. defense chief stands firm on criticism of Moscow.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis appeared to close the door Thursday on increased military ties between the United States and Russia, dimming, for the moment, prospects that President Donald Trump’s election would soon usher in warmer relations.
Mattis’ rejection of stronger ties, made during a NATO meeting in Brussels, came amid a flurry of mixed messages about the outlook for improvement in the U.S.-Russian relationship under the Trump administration.
He spoke as Gen. Joseph Dunford, the top U.S. military officer, was meeting with his Russian counterpart for the first time in almost three years. And his statement came on the same day that President Vladimir Putin called for Russian intelligence agencies to bolster ties with the U.S. intelligence community in the fight against terrorism.
“Restoring dialogue with the special services of the United States and other NATO members is in our mutual interest,” Putin told the country’s FSB intelligence agency in a televised speech.
His comments, coming as Trump was using his Twitter account to denounce leaks from the U.S. intelligence community, were greeted with surprise among some U.S. officials.
Mattis, for his part, made clear that his criticism of Russia had not changed. Appearing before reporters, Mattis, a former Marine general, said Russia needed to “live by international law like we expect all mature nations on this planet to do.”
There was no doubt, he added, that Russia had “interfered or attempted to interfere in a number of elections,” implying, although not specifically saying, that the Russians had interfered in the process that led his own boss’s election as president.
And while Mattis said U.S. political leaders would look for common ground with the Russians, he added that when it came to real intelligence sharing and military cooperation, “Russia is going to have to prove itself first.”
Mattis’ comments are significant because more than any other Cabinet member or top administration official he is regarded by Trump as the most trusted on a number of national security issues. Trump has moved closer to the views held by Mattis, including dropping his insistence about using torture, and calling for Russia to return Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, to Ukraine.
At the NATO defense minister meeting this week, much of the talk in the hallways dwelled on whether Mattis could continue to move the Trump administration toward positions on national security issues more palatable to America’s European allies.