Pentagon chief: US has very modest expectations of its cooperation with Russia

The UK Defense secretary Michael Fallon and his US counterpart James Mattis discussed their relations with Russia at the meeting in London.

"We look to engaging with Russia on a political or diplomatic level, but right now Russia is choosing to be a strategic competitor and we are finding that we can only have very modest expectations at this point of areas that we can cooperate," Mattis said at a joint news conference with Fallon. 

Fallon, in turn, said there "cannot be any return to business as usual" with Russia if the behaviour continues.

"There’s a pattern of interference now by Russia in different parts of the globe that needs us to be wary of what Russia is up to," the Independent cited him as saying.

Fallon also said Britain would continue to work with Russia to avoid conflict in Syria