Putin trying to break NATO, Mattis tells U.S. Senate hearings
13 January 2017
Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to break the NATO military alliance, James Mattis, the nominee for U.S. defense secretary, told confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate on Jan. 12. Mattis described a foreign policy position different from that of U.S. President-elect Trump, identifying Russia as a strategic adversary and placing it first on his list of global security threats, he said, stressing that Putin is trying to create unstable states on its periphery through military intimidation.
Mattis pointed out that the history of U.S.-Russian relations is short on successful efforts at lasting cooperation. “I’m all for engagement but we also have to recognize reality and what Russia is up to and there’s a decreasing number of areas where we can engage cooperatively and increasing number of areas where we’re going to have to confront Russia,” he said. He said he’d like to meet with Trump’s new national security team and “craft a strategy to confront Russia.”
Zenon Zawada: After Tillerson’s impressive performance on Jan. 11, Mattis has also demonstrated a strong understanding of the geopolitical game being played by Russian President Putin. Such strong advisors surrounding the U.S. president-elect should reduce concerns that Trump will reach compromises with Russia that threaten global security and stability.
