Washington: Russia and its President Vladimir Putin have paid no price for their "misbehaviour" in countries like Ukraine and Syria and for "interfering" in US elections, a top American Senator has alleged.
"They Russians are succeeding in continuing their dismemberment of Ukraine. They're succeeding in exerting enormous influence in the Middle East, which they never had before. They have succeeded in interfering with our election, and we know that they continue that in the French elections and other elections," said Senator John McCain, Chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.
"So far they have paid a little or no penalty for all of this misbehaviour. The pattern - listening to that guy, watching him, that's echoes of the Cold War. They just tell flat out lies. You know, that's the way it is," McCain told ABC News in an interview yesterday.
He hoped that US President Donald Trump would respond to this Russian behaviour.
McCain asserted that it was a known fact the Russians tried to change the outcome of the US election and attacking the very fundamental of democracy.
"We know they did that. We need to know how, we need to know why, and most of all we need to know what to do to prevent this kind of activity, which they continue to carry on in free nations around the world," he said.
McCainhe said the national security team Trump had assembled was outstanding.
"I hope that he listens to them, because they don't have any illusions about Vladimir Putin and Russian behaviour. But this is why we need a select committee. Every time we turn around, another shoe drops from this centipede, and we need to examine all of the aspects of President Trump's priorities and the other priorities that many of us believe exist," he said.
Appearing on CBS, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the US did not trust Russia.
"I have always said we don't trust Russia. I think we're all aware that Russia was involved in the elections. So I'm not going to talk about who is lying and who is not. I know that that's a very real thing, and so we what we're doing from here going forward is, we're going to be strong.
"We're going to be loud. We're going to make sure that, when we can work with them, we can, but when they do something wrong, we are going to call them out and say it," Haley said.
She said the US put sanctions on Russia for how they took over Crimea.
"We have continued to put pressure on them. Those things are going to continue to happen as we need to. At the United Nations, that is something that I'm going to continue to do and that's something the administration has supported me doing as we go forward," she said.
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