Russian President Vladimir Putin is “trying to break” NATO, James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, said on Thursday.

“Right now, the most important thing is that we recognize the reality of what we deal with Mr. Putin, and we recognize that he is trying to break the North Atlantic alliance,” Mattis told senators at his confirmation hearing.

We must take the “diplomatic, economic, military and the alliance steps, working with our allies, to defend ourselves where we must.”

Source: AFP