British Defense Minister called Russia a strategic competitor of the West
The British Secretary of State for Defense, Michael Fallon, is ready to work with Moscow to achieve a settlement on the situation in Syria. However, he considers Russia a strategic competitor of the West.
"I'm ready to work with the new Secretary of Defense [of the US], James Mattis, to de-escalate tensions with Moscow; and as I said, to continue to work with Russia on how we reach a settlement in Syria," he said in an interview with the British BBC.
"At the same time, Russia cannot be treated as an equal,” Fallon added. “Russia is a strategic competitor for us in the West and we have to understand that."