Mitt Romney on Monday called it “alarming” and “troubling” that President Obama told Russia's president he would have “more flexibility” to deal with them on missile defense after the election.
“This is a president who has been telling us one thing and planning on doing something else,” he said on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
In a conversation picked up by live microphones on Monday, Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he will have “more flexibility” to deal with missile defense after the election. He asked Medvedev, who promised to pass on the message to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, to give him “space” and “time” on the topic.
Romney blasted the overheard conversation in a statement as a signal that Obama plans “to cave to Russia on missile defense” if he is reelected.
On CNN, Romney called Russia “without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe.” Asked to clarify, Romney explained that he believes the “greatest threat the U.S. faces is a nuclear Iran” but that Russia typically blocks U.S. efforts to block countries such as Syria at the United Nations.
“Who is it who always stands up for the world’s worst actors? It’s always Russia, typically with China alongside,” Romney said. “Russia is not a friendly character on the world stage.”
