US Senator McCain says Putin bigger threat than ISIL

APD NEWS

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US Senator John McCain said Russian President Vladimir Putin is a bigger threat to global security than ISIL, and warned that the Senate would push for sanctions against Moscow for its alleged interference in the US election.

McCain, a leading foreign policy voice in the US Congress, was speaking in an interview in Australia, where he has held security talks on his way to a defense summit in Singapore.

Chairman Sen. John McCain arrives for a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington March 9, 2017. /VCG Photo

"I think he (Putin) is the premier and most important threat, more so than ISIL," McCain said in an interview on Australian Broadcasting Corp television.

He said while there was no evidence the Russians succeeded in changing the US election outcome, they were still trying to change elections, including the recent French vote.

"I view the Russians as the far greatest challenge that we have," said McCain, who is chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

"So we need to have increased sanctions and hopefully when we come back from our recess, the Senate will move forward with sanctions on Russia and enact other penalties for Russian behavior."

(CGTN)