Oxford, England: U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday warned Russia against interfering with Western "democratic processes" and accused Moscow of aggressive behaviour aimed at eroding the international order.
Carter's remarks follow hacking attacks on Democratic Party organisations in the run-up to the U.S. election on Nov. 8, some of which U.S. officials and cyber security experts have blamed on hackers working for the Russian government.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has blamed Russia and expressed concern about possible Russian interference in the election.
The Kremlin has denied involvement in the hacks.
"We don't seek an enemy in Russia. But make no mistake - we will defend our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords all of us," Carter said in an address to students at Oxford University.
"We will counter attempts to undermine our collective security. And we will not ignore attempts to interfere with our democratic processes."
Pressed by reporters, Carter said his concerns were not about "the United States only" but did not offer specifics, nor did he indicate whether he was referring to the hacking attacks, but he said that the NATO alliance has long worried about Russian meddling in other nations' domestic affairs.
U.S. Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and has called on Moscow to dig up tens of thousands of "missing" emails from Clinton's time as head of the U.S. State Department. He later said his comments were meant to be sarcastic.
Relations between Russia and United States hit a post-Cold War low in 2014 over the Ukraine crisis, and Washington and Moscow have since clashed over diverging policies in Syria.
Carter sounded a pessimistic tone on diplomatic efforts between the two to try to agree a ceasefire and nudge the Syrian government towards a political transition to end the conflict.
"Today's news out of Syria is not encouraging. The choice is Russia's to make ... and the consequences will be its responsibility," he said.
On another front, U.S. officials said a Russian fighter jet carried out an "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of a U.S. spy plane over the Black Sea on Wednesday.
Citing Russia's "unprofessional behaviour" in the air, space and cyberspace, Carter said: "Russia appears driven by misguided ambitions and misplaced fears."
"It lashes out, alleging that it fears for its own viability and future, even though no nation - not the United States, not the United Kingdom - seeks to defeat it or constrain its potential," he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Carter's remarks follow hacking attacks on Democratic Party organisations in the run-up to the U.S. election on Nov. 8, some of which U.S. officials and cyber security experts have blamed on hackers working for the Russian government.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has blamed Russia and expressed concern about possible Russian interference in the election.
"We don't seek an enemy in Russia. But make no mistake - we will defend our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords all of us," Carter said in an address to students at Oxford University.
Advertisement
Pressed by reporters, Carter said his concerns were not about "the United States only" but did not offer specifics, nor did he indicate whether he was referring to the hacking attacks, but he said that the NATO alliance has long worried about Russian meddling in other nations' domestic affairs.
Advertisement
Relations between Russia and United States hit a post-Cold War low in 2014 over the Ukraine crisis, and Washington and Moscow have since clashed over diverging policies in Syria.
Advertisement
"Today's news out of Syria is not encouraging. The choice is Russia's to make ... and the consequences will be its responsibility," he said.
Advertisement
Citing Russia's "unprofessional behaviour" in the air, space and cyberspace, Carter said: "Russia appears driven by misguided ambitions and misplaced fears."
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2016
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Opinion: Opinion | India's Options For Russia-Ukraine Peace Are Growing Complicated Meta Bans Russian State Media Outlets Worldwide For 'Interference Activity' Russians Urged To Have Sex During Work Breaks Amid Country's Declining Birth Rate Video: Leopard Spotted Crossing Road In Bengaluru's Electronic City AAP Asks Its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal To Quit Over Atishi Remarks Arvind Kejriwal Resigns After Choosing Atishi As His Replacement "We Will Not Spare You": Nitin Gadkari Warns Contractors Over Poor Roads Kangana Ranaut Says Sold Mumbai Property After 'Emergency' Postponed China Landlord Tries To Evict Cancer-Stricken Tenant Over Property Value Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.