Brussels (AFP) - The United States is not yet ready to cooperate militarily with Russia, Pentagon chief James Mattis said Thursday after Moscow's defence minister called for better ties.
"We are not in a position right now to collaborate on a military level, but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground or a way forward," Mattis told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier in Moscow that he was potentially "ready to restore cooperation with the Pentagon," and President Vladimir Putin called for Russian intelligence agencies to bolster contacts with US counterparts in the counter-terrorism fight.