During his bilateral meeting today with Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık at the U.N. Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial in London, Defense Secretary Ash Carter affirmed his support for the long-term strategic partnership between the United States and Turkey, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a readout of the meeting.
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Carter’s remarks follow hacking attacks on Democratic Party organisations in the run-up to the US election on November 8, some of which USA officials and cyber security experts have blamed on hackers working for the Russian government.
The comments come days after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Russian Federation is trying to “interfere with our election” to boost Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The Kremlin has denied involvement in the hacks.
“They are still a risky adversary, and a lasting defeat will take time, but we will not let up until ISIL is defeated”, said Carter, using an alternate acronym for the Islamic State.
“But make no mistake-we will defend our allies, the principled global order, and the positive future it affords all of us”, Carter said in an address to students at Oxford University.
Mr Carter told reporters at a press conference in Lancaster House: “President (Barack) Obama and I and many other Americans know we can continue to count on a strong United Kingdom to be a staunch ally”.
He also warned Moscow that Washington “will not ignore attempts to interfere with our democratic processes”, a clear reference to the FBI investigation into allegations that Russian Federation hacked into computer systems of the Democratic National Committee.
But the secretary said that they are key in the battle against ISIS and that the United States intends to “keep our commitments” to both of them. He later said his comments were meant to be sarcastic. Carter said Russia’s entry into the conflict had fueled violence in the country and called on Moscow to use its influence over Assad to end the conflict.
On another front, USA officials said a Russian fighter jet carried out an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a US spy plane over the Black Sea on Wednesday.
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He mentioned Russian aggression in Ukraine and Georgia; its “unprofessional behavior” in the air, space and cyberspace; and its nuclear saber-rattling.
