US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged to prevent a repeat of cyberattacks against his country.
“As (US President) Biden told the head of the Kremlin, we hope to have a more stable and beneficial relationship with Russia. We can work together on strategic topics such as arms control, cybersecurity, regional crises. But if Russia continues to attack us or act as it did with the SolarWinds attacks, interference in our elections and aggression against Navalny, then we will respond. Not because we want conflicts, but because our values and principles are dear to us. It is up to Russia to decide”, – Blinken said in an interview published by the Roman newspaper la Repubblica on Tuesday.
Speaking about relations with Russia, he once again focused on the topic of cybersecurity.
“When President Biden met with President (RF) Putin in Geneva, it was one of the main topics. We recently became the target of a major cyber extortion attack against our oil pipeline on the East Coast, not from a country, but from a criminal group. Those responsible for this attack live in Russia. Therefore, we told Russia that no responsible state can give shelter or shelter to criminal associations responsible for cyberattacks for the purpose of extortion”.
According to the politician, the US expects Russia to take action to prevent a repeat of such attacks. At the same time, he pointed out that strategic facilities related to water and electricity supply and public transport should be protected from cyber attacks.
Blinken said he clearly said this to Putin and will wait for the results. Also, the US Secretary of State paid significant attention to China.
“It is important to understand that China is the most difficult country we deal with in our relationship. There are areas where he is an adversary, others where he is a rival, and there are areas where he is a partner. There is no single word that could define this type of relationship”.