Photo: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. © ITAR-TASS/Alexei Nikolsky
ITAR-TASS: Deputy minister: Russian defense minister will answer if US defense secretary makes a call
According to the official, Russia does not seek confrontation between US and NATO
MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. If US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter decides to "make a call" to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, there will be "no negative answer," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told RT on Thursday.
"If, for example, minister of defense of the United States decides to make a call to Mr. Shoigu, I am sure there will be no negative answer from his side," Antonov said. Shoigu sent a letter congratulating Ashton Carter with appointment in February this year.
Channels and connections between Russia and US still exist, but they are not used, Antonov said.
WNU Editor: This is a strange remark from the Russian Defense Minister. Even during the height of the Cold War .... U.S. and Russian defense officials always talked to each other .... but it appears that this is not the case today.
3 comments:
Another little dig in Putin's campaign to make the West look arrogant, unlistening, and unheeding of the world at large. Little, but it adds up and is effective.
Not good. Actually I think they have not been talking for a while. I do recall reading reports of high ranking US officials going to meet with high ranking officials in the Russian government and being forced to wait for hours past the scheduled time. I think this goes both ways.
With that said, Russia is the most powerful country in the world now, especially militarily. As such, the onus is likely on US officials to meet whatever terms the Russians want to get things moving on a track toward open communication.
A great place to begin would be to extricate ourselves from Ukraine by any all means necessary. Probably a good place to start would be announcing a lifting of sanctions against Russia, following through with lifting of sanctions, and vigorously opposing anyone placing sanctions on Russia.
Will the EU nations go along with such a policy? Probably not a first but in time they will probably come to see the futility of such a policy.
In summary, the US badly needs a change in leadership that will do what it takes to fix this relationship. Having hostilities between oneself and the most powerful person in the room is simply not a way to run an organization!! Not good. God help us all!!
James is correct that this is a propaganda victory for Russia. The Russians are the best in world at information propagation, propaganda, getting the message out, or whatever one wishes to call it. In contrast, the Americans are the world's worst at this sort of thing.
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