Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said that the departure of U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis is a positive signal for Russia, since Mattis was far more hawkish on Russia and China than U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page that Mattis and Trump had dissenting views on some fundamental issues, including Washington’s approach towards those countries whose strategic interests were out of sync with America’s, that is namely, China and Russia.
"One can thus draw a conclusion that Trump deviated from Mattis’ stance as far as attitude towards Washington’s allies, relations with Russia and China and a reduction of America’s presence abroad are concerned. It is not for nothing that he considered Mattis to be ‘somewhat of a democrat.’ This is indeed closer to the Democratic Party’s line," TASS cited him as saying.
According to the chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Trump considered the continuation of the chosen course to be "more important than keeping James Mattis at his post." "That’s an interesting signal, and a more positive [than negative] one at that," Kosachev stressed.
