“I don’t know exactly what happened. I think it’s tragic. It’s terrible; it shouldn’t happen. We don’t have any evidence yet, but I’ll take a look,” Trump told a news conference Friday. . ” White House. In response to further questions on the issue, he tried to favor his favorite opponent, claiming that what China was doing was “too bad.” And as he did the night before at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, he insisted, “I’ll meet with President Putin.”
Trump has come out of the fray with the leaders of Britain and Germany, who have been outraged by the attack on Naval.
Friday’s comments were his first on the novel after Germany said he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group – the same substance the Kremlin had poisoned former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in March 2018.
The U.S. initial response came in a series of tweets from National Security Council spokesman John Ulliot.
“The United States is deeply disturbed by the results announced today. The poisoning of Alexei Navalny is absolutely reprehensible. Russia has used the chemical nerve agent Novichok in the past,” Uliot said. “We will work with allies and the international community to hold the Russian people accountable wherever evidence is found, and to limit funding for their malicious activities.”
Since then, the U.S. ambassadors to Moscow, NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have gained weight, and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Bigg met with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. on Friday, where he expressed “serious concern.” According to a State Department reading, poisoning.
‘Strict statements required’
But the U.S. The top language of government has been more equivalent.
“Strong statements from the president himself are needed,” Alexander Vershabo, the US ambassador to Russia under President George W. Bush, told CNN.
He added, “We’ve been waiting four years for that, for anything the Russians have done, and every time Trump has been right to form.”
A senior European official told CNN that the only outreach from the Trump administration to Germany regarding the revelation of Navalny’s condition has been at the executive level to gather more information on the apparent toxin. But there has been no indication from the Trump administration that it will take any action to punish Russia for the apparent poisoning of Navalny, the official said.
In his news conference on Friday, Trump claimed that he was “tougher than ever on Russia.”
But the pace and risk posed by Russian actions in recent weeks is worrying high-ranking military officials. Moscow has conducted at least five military missions targeting U.S. forces in areas from Alaskan waters and from European skies to remote eastern Syria.
Seven U.S. troops in Syria Trump’s silence after the soldiers were wounded is particularly striking.
The U.S. military says a car bomb had exploded at an Iraqi police recruiting center at Kisak, west of Mosul, on August 25, but was not immediately available for comment. The Russians also had a military helicopter flying low and fast over the Americans, angering senior U.S. military officials who saw it as a threat to personnel on board.
The U.S. military says a car bomb had exploded at an Iraqi police recruiting center at Kisak, west of Mosul. Despite having nothing to do with the president or defense secretary Mark Asper, the official response came in harsh words from press spokesmen. A defense official said the Pentagon was confused for the administration “because it is Russia” and “it means it is sensitive.” The next day, U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the area, called Russian activity an “unauthorized invasion” of the area run by American troops.
Russia’s latest military action is causing concern at the Pentagon’s highest level.
Some of Russia’s other military actions have been dangerous. In addition to the Syrian collision, two Russian fighter jets repeatedly landed within 100 feet of the US B-52 bomber’s nose over the Black Sea on August 28th. The resulting tumultuous American crew found it difficult to maneuver.
“Clearly there have been occasions where Russian forces have chosen not to adhere to agreed standards of safe disruption, putting the lives of members of our respective service at unnecessary risk. That is unacceptable and we have become clear about this,” another US defense official said. . Told CNN.
In recent days, a Russian submarine suddenly came out of Alaska, without any explanation, and a US B-52 bomber over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian S-27 fighter. The Russians entered the well-to-do Danish airspace of B-52s, they were NATO and the U.S. Significantly violated allied airspace.
“The unauthorized intrusion of sovereign airspace is a significant violation of international law,” NATO’s Allied Air Command said in a statement. Trump has not yet spoken out in defense of the grand coalition.
Some defense officials told CNN that they assess that the increase in Russian action is a direct result of Putin’s priorities: while trying to undermine U.S. interests and credibility and also trying to show that the Russian military is a great power. Which can work worldwide.
‘Putin can’t resist sticking to United States’
John Herbst, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan, noted that the provocation “could be a disgrace to President Trump.”
“He’s not smart in terms of his long-term interests, because he defines them as trying and doing things to embarrass President Trump, even though he does, because Putin just can’t resist sticking to the United States.” Told CNN.
Russia has denied any wrongdoing in recent military encounters.
Officials say private U.S. officials have spoken out about their dangerous actions with the Russian people. Talks have been held by the government, but there are currently no plans to try to get the president involved, and there is no indication that Trump wants to get involved.
Vershabo warns that it could be a mistake: “If the Russians understand that this is only raised by lower, middle-level officials, but without the help of the president, they will not take the US opposition very seriously.”
Officials are very aware that all this is happening because they are fighting Russia in cyberspace and trying to interfere in the US elections, another initiative of Russia is Trump silence. The Pentagon’s cyber command has placed significant emphasis on helping domestic law enforcement and the intelligence community in its efforts to prevent Russian interference in the November election.
So far the White House has offered no explanation for the president’s silence in the face of repeated military provocations. When asked why Trump did not call the Russians, Hogan Gidley, the national press secretary for the Trump campaign, told CNN earlier this week, “He did, and this is the same song, a different verse. He did it before.” I’ll do it again. “
But experts are uncontested.
“I think it speaks to the ambiguities of our policy towards Russia. The fact is that the policy is very good overall. It may be better, but it is much better. But you have an unusual factor of the president’s reluctance to criticize Putin or The Kremlin. And so that makes the policy a bit unusual, and it’s obviously not positive, “Herbst told CNN.
CNN’s Vivian Salama, Nikki Carvajal and Ryan Brown contributed to the report.
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