US Defense Secretary: Not enough conditions for Russia-US military cooperation

(Baonghean.vn)- On February 16, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced that he saw no conditions for military cooperation with Russia, in the context of Moscow hoping to improve relations with the US under new President Donald Trump.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis speaks at a press conference during the NATO Defense Ministers' meeting on February 16. Photo: Reuters.

Speaking to reporters after discussions at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, Secretary Mattis stressed: "Right now, we do not think we will cooperate with Russia at a military level. However, our political leaders will try to find common ground."'

The US defense chief's comments came just hours after his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu expressed his readiness to resume cooperation with the Pentagon and Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that it was in both countries' interests to restore contact between their intelligence agencies.

At a closed-door NATO meeting on February 15, Mattis said the alliance needed to be realistic about the possibility of restoring cooperation between the US and Russia, and that US diplomats could “negotiate from the position of a great power with military power.” In response, Shoigu said that attempts to build a dialogue with Moscow from such a position would be futile.

The back-and-forth between officials from both sides further shows that mending relations between Moscow and Washington is much more difficult than President Trump suggested during his election campaign.

Lan Ha

(According to Reuters)