The Trump administration says it is willing to partner with Russia to combat the ISIS terrorist group.
In his first daily White House press briefing, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Monday that President Donald Trump has been “very clear” that he'll “work with any country committed to defeating ISIS,” according to a live stream of the conference.
Spicer added that the administration will work “with Russia or anyone else” to defeat the terrorist group—either militarily or economically.
Trump, in his Inauguration Day speech, singled out defeating terrorist groups.
“To defeat and destroy these groups, we will pursue aggressive joint and coalition military operations when necessary. In addition, the Trump Administration will work with international partners to cut off funding for terrorist groups, to expand intelligence sharing, and to engage in cyberwarfare to disrupt and disable propaganda and recruiting,” the White House website reads. North Korea, China, and Russia were not mentioned.
“The world will be more peaceful and more prosperous with a stronger and more respected America,” the White House foreign policy page reads.
On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had carried out a joint airstrike mission with U.S.-led coalition warplanes against ISIS in Syria, AP reported.
But that claim was immediately denied by the Pentagon.
Spicer was also asked by ABC’s Johnathan Karl about Trump’s inauguration, to which he replied: “Sometimes we can disagree with the facts but our intention is never to lie.”
This came after a contentious White House press conference on Saturday, where he claimed that some reporters were deliberating publishing false reports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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