In an interview late Friday on CNN, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks he can “dis” the United States.
“I think there was an opportunity with the past leadership in Russia,” Royce told host Wolf Blitzer, according to The Hill. “But right now, clearly, Putin intends to … stick his thumb in the eye of the United States every time he can. And so it’s a difficult situation. He’s trying to undermine us in Syria. He’s not helpful in Iran. And, as a consequence, I think we’re in a tough position right now.”