Trump's pick for US secretary of state calls Russia a 'danger'

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US President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, called Russia a "danger" to the United States on Wednesday and said he favored maintaining US sanctions against Moscow for now, even as Trump welcomed close ties with Russia.

"Russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests," Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, DC.

"Our NATO allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia," he added.

Rex Tillerson (R) takes his seat next to former US Senator Sam Nunn to testify before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be US secretary of state in Washington, US, January 11, 2017. /CFP Photo‍

Former Exxon Mobile CEO Tillerson has come under fire over his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has known since the 1990s. The 64-year-old has no government experience but as Exxon CEO, he oversaw business operations in over 50 countries.

In 2013, he was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship by Putin and he was widely known for opposing sanctions against Russia that were imposed following its annexation of Crimea.

On Wednesday however, Tillerson seemed to reverse his previous stance on sanctions, saying: "I would recommend maintaining the status quo until we are able to engage with Russia and understand better what their intentions are."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks during a news briefing on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi, Russia, May 19, 2016. /CFP Photo

Tillerson's confirmation hearing comes amid US allegations that Russian hacking sought to influence the 2016 US election.

On Monday, Moscow again refuted accusations that it was involved in cyberattacks during the election, saying that it was a "tiresome witch-hunt."

Tillerson however noted on Wednesday, that it was a "fair assumption" that Putin personally ordered the hacking.

Trump, who has questioned and disparaged US intelligence findings that Russia was behind the hacking for months, also conceded at his first news conference since the election: “As far as hacking, I think it was Russia.”

“But I also think we’ve been hacked by other countries, other people,” he said, adding that: “Russia can help us fight ISIS.”

“If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability?,” Trump concluded.

(With inputs from Xinhua, AFP)

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