Rex Tillerson
The former head of Exxon Mobil Rex Tillerson, nominated by the elected President of the United States Donald trump for Secretary of state, intends to include Russia in the list of priority threats, and accuse Moscow of ignoring the interests of the United States. It is reported by The Washington Post, citing the text of the speech Tillerson, with which he will perform on Wednesday, January 11, in the Senate.
“While Russia is seeking to gain respect and influence on the world stage, her actions of ignoring American interests. Russia should know that we stick to our commitments and obligations to our allies and that Russia must be held accountable for its actions”, — quotes the edition an excerpt from the speech.
Washington, according to Tillerson, must be aware that Moscow is aimed at destabilizing the situation in neighbouring countries and the Middle East. “Russia today is dangerous, but at the same time, it is unpredictable in the promotion of their own interests. She invaded the Ukraine, including seizing the Crimea, supported the Syrian forces that violate the laws of war”, — reads the statement of the candidate for Secretary of state.
“Our allies have reason to worry the revival of Russia”, — stated in the speech Tillerson.
At the same time, the former head of Exxon Mobil intends to advocate for cooperation with Moscow in those areas where it is needed, particularly in combating terrorism, but only if it does not threaten the United States.
Trump has put forward Tillerson to the post of Secretary of state on December 13. “He is a man, powerfully and clearly defending American interests, and he will be able to correct the mistakes of those years, when foreign policy was on the wrong path,” said the President-elect of the United States.
Tillerson’s candidacy should be approved by the Senate. The legislators noted that the process would not be easy — many of them are concerned about “ties with Russia.” According to the results of the election held November 8, the Republicans retained the Senate majority with 52 seats out of 100.
Tillerson, was awarded the Russian order of Friendship, is known to active work with the company “Rosneft” according to some, his direct negotiations with President of Russia Vladimir Putin facilitated the conclusion of agreements on the implementation of several major projects (in particular, drilling in the Russian Arctic shelf). Earlier, Tillerson did not consider sanctions against Moscow an effective tool and advocated the reduction of the role of restrictive measures.
Russia has repeatedly said that is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine. Crimea became part of Russia in March 2014 after a meeting held in the region of the referendum. Kiev to recognize the results of the plebiscite refused. In Moscow, noted that the process of reunification of the region with Russia, consistent with international law.