Voice of America. Jeff Seldin. Russia said Tuesday it sees U.S. President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy as “imperial” and showing a lack of willingness to accept a multi-polar world.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia disagrees with the view that it is a security threat for the United States, but welcomed the Trump administration’s stated willingness to work together on mutual interests.
Trump unveiled his strategy Monday, warning the country’s greatness is being challenged by rival powers and promising the United States would use “every instrument” at its disposal to ignite what he portrayed as an American awakening.
The document says the United States “will seek areas of cooperation with competitors from a position of strength, foremost by ensuring our military power is second to none and fully integrated with our allies and all of our instruments of power.”
During a speech in Washington, Trump pointed to Russia and China as his chief concerns, saying both countries “seek to challenge American values, influence and wealth.”
But he promised the United States, under his leadership, would not back down.
“Whether we like it or not, we are engaged in a new era of competition,” Trump said, cautioning, “American success is not a foregone conclusion.”
“We are declaring that American is in the game and that America is going to win,” he said.
China’s Foreign Ministry responded Tuesday, saying the United States should abandon its “Cold War mentality” and stop deliberately distorting China’s intentions.
Trump said the new national security strategy, which he described as a return to the wisdom of the country’s founding fathers, would be a roadmap to greatness.
In recent days, senior officials had promoted the new strategy, 11 months in the making, as a “clear and actionable playbook” designed to take on growing threats by focusing on safeguarding U.S. vital interests.
“The global balance of power has shifted in unfavorable manners to American interests,” a senior administration official said. “This new strategy presents a plan of how America can regain momentum to reverse many of these trends.”
Trump on Monday repeatedly criticized past U.S. leaders.
“They lost sight of America’s destiny, and they lost their belief in American greatness,” he said. “They surrendered our sovereignty to foreign bureaucrats in far away and distant capitals.”
Confronting Rivals
In particular, Trump blamed previous U.S. administrations for failing to confront North Korea and its nuclear ambitions “when it was much easier to handle.”
And Trump renewed criticism of former President Barack Obama for what he described as a “disastrous” nuclear deal with Iran.
“Pushing back rather than simply engaging adversaries is important. I do think that was a weakness in the past,” said David Adesnik, director of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
In his address Monday, the president insisted his administration’s efforts are already paying dividends from the Middle East and South Asia to North Korea and at home.
And while he described America’s rivals as both tough and tenacious, he said they could also become allies under the right conditions.
“We will attempt to build great partnerships with those [Russia and China] and other countries, but in a manner that always protects our national interests,” Trump said.
The president pointed to Sunday’s phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin, thanking the United States for sharing intelligence to thwart a terror plot, as a sign of success.
“That’s a great thing and the way it’s supposed to work,” Trump said.
Other senior officials echoed the sentiment that under the principles of the new national security strategy, Washington’s relationship with Moscow had improved.
“We’re certainly better off right now than we were several months ago,” one official said. “But we still see a lot of areas where our interests just don’t align or directly conflict.”
National Security Strategy
And top officials, like U.S. National Security Advisor Gen. H.R. McMaster, continue to voice concern about what they describe as Russia’s “sophisticated campaigns of subversion and disinformation.”
The Trump national security strategy unveiled Monday aims to confront such threats by focusing on four vital national interests: protecting the homeland, promoting American prosperity, preserving peace through strength, and advancing American influence.
It proposes stronger controls along U.S. borders, increased restrictions on immigration, enhanced military spending, an improved national infrastructure designed to be resilient in the face of expected cyberattacks and stronger emphasis on fair trade and the protection of intellectual property.
More – see Voice of America
Photo – CNN