FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Ischinger: Congress Has Tied Trump’s Hands To Stop U.S.-Russian Relations from Improving

Feb. 3, 2018 (EIRNS)—Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, charged that the U.S. Congress has done everything it could to prevent President Donald Trump from being able to improve relations with Russia. Ischinger’s statement comes ahead of the 54th Session of the Munich Security Conference, formerly known as the Wehrkunde, which takes place on Feb. 16-18. The American side will be represented by Defense Secretary Mattis, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, and Sen. John McCain, among others.

Ischinger told TASS that the atmosphere between Washington and Moscow could not get “any worse.” “I assess the current state of affairs as dangerous, deeply regrettable and in dire need of improvement,” he said.

“Is there any chance for it? I hope that after the Presidential elections, the Russian side will have an opportunity to reach out to Washington. And I hope that after the midterm elections in the U.S. this coming November, the situation in the country will somewhat calm down.”

He continued that “the current situation is the most dangerous since the collapse of the U.S.S.R.”

He then said it is very hard for the White House to come up with any initiative on the issue, because “the U.S. Congress has tied the President’s hands.”

“But Moscow can do a lot. If Washington realizes that there is no need to fear any interference in its elections or any hybrid confrontation, then a serious cause for criticism would be removed. Both sides need to contribute a lot to normalizing their relations,”

Ischinger stressed.