Antony Blinken: US will respond to reckless Russian acts

  • 2021-05-06 16:14:42
The US secretary of state has told the BBC that the US will respond to reckless or aggressive acts by Russia. Antony Blinken said the US was focused on actions such as the treatment of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, the Solar Winds hack and election interference. "We would prefer a more stable and predictable relationship," he said. Mr Blinken was in the UK for a meeting of foreign ministers of the G7 group of industrialised nations. A statement issued after the two-day talks criticised Moscow for its "irresponsible and destabilising behaviour", particularly against Ukraine, and for cyber-attacks. Mr Blinken echoed those sentiments on Thursday, offering support to Ukraine during talks in Kyiv with its President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said his country was under threat from Russian troops massed near its border. The US and Russia have been long-term adversaries and remain far apart on major issues. In February, US President Joe Biden said he had made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin "that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russia's aggressive actions [were] over". But Mr Biden's predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, said during his presidential campaign that he would get along with Mr Putin. He sought to improve ties while in office, a stance at odds with traditional Republican party policy.

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