Pentagon Warns Middle East Countries Against Security Cooperation With Russia, China - Sputnik International

(Sputnik) - A senior Pentagon official on Tuesday warned that Middle Eastern countries that test waters of deeper security cooperation with China or Russia put at risk their partnerships with the United States.

“It’s... clear that certain countries and partners would want to hedge and test what more they might be able to get from the United States by testing the waters of deeper cooperation with the Chinese or the Russians, particularly in the security and military space,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dana Stroul said during a webinar at the Middle East Institute. “And I would just caution them again that there is a point that it will tip into the strategies that will not only threaten your partnership with the United States but will actually threaten your national sovereignty in countries like Lebanon.”

Stroul claimed that the potential benefits of cooperation with Russia and China pale in comparison with what the United States can offer in terms of security cooperation.

“To me, the choice is clear between what you can get from China or Russia and what you can get from the United States,” she said.

Stroul accused Russia of nurturing intentions to challenge the United States in the Middle East and stress its strategic regional partnerships.