Article first appeared on RussiaFeed.
Of course NATO is not a threat to Russia…
- Amassing thousands of troops at Russia’s borders.
- Conducting all kinds of military drills and war games aimed at attacking Russia.
- Setting up missile shields with first strike capability in Poland and Romania.
- Helping the neo-nazi putsch government in Kiev wage war on ethnic Russians in Donbass.
- Trying to take over Crimea when Victoria Nuland and the EU overthrew a democratically elected government in Kiev, only to have Putin thwart off their advances.
- Illegally bombing Serbia.
- Illegally bombing Libya.
NATO a threat…what would make Russia think such thoughts?
Here is Mattis playing it very dumb for American audiences, as he answers the million dollar question…What do the Russians want?
“Beats me,” Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Sunday’s broadcast of “Face the Nation.”
“Right now, Russia’s future should be wedded to Europe. Why they see NATO as a threat is beyond me. Clearly, NATO is not a threat.”
“But right now, Russia is choosing to be a strategic competitor for any number of reasons,” Mattis said, in his first formal television interview as defense secretary. “But the bottom line is NATO is not a threat and they know it. They have no doubt about it.”
Mattis gave the interview as President Trump returned from his first trip abroad. During this trip, Mr. Trump met NATO members and other world leaders.
Mattis said the U.S. is trying to deal with Russia diplomatically, at the behest of Mr. Trump. But the U.S. will also have to confront Russia when the Kremlin attacks on the cyber front or tries to change other countries’ borders, Mattis said. That places the U.S. in a “strategically uncomfortable position,” he said.
“Right now, we’re dealing with Russia, attempting to deal with Russia, under President Trump’s direction, in a diplomatic manner,” Mattis said. “At the same time while willing to engage diplomatically, we are going to have to confront Russia when it comes to areas where they attack us, whether it be with cyber, or they try to change borders using armed force. And that’s, admittedly, a strategically uncomfortable position, engaging diplomatically, trying to find a way out of this situation, but confronting them where we must. And we’re going to continue in this mode and hopefully soon our diplomats will work their magic and start moving us out of this quandary we find ourselves in.”
The post US Secretary of Defense James Mattis plays dumb, “NATO is not a threat [to Russia] and they know it” (Video) appeared first on The Duran.