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McCain says reset with Russia 'unacceptable'

Washington • A leading Republican voice on national security is declaring as "unacceptable" any attempt by the incoming Trump administration to reset relations with Russia.

In a statement Tuesday, Sen. John McCain of Arizona said the price of starting anew with Moscow would be U.S. complicity in the "butchery of the Syrian people" being carried out by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Assad.

President-elect Donald Trump said in a statement that he is looking forward to having a "strong and enduring relationship with Russia."

McCain dismissed Putin as a former KGB agent who has murdered his political rivals and threatened U.S. allies.

The Associated Press