John Kerry does not see Russia as existential threat: U.S. State Dept

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry does not agree with the assessment that Russia is an existential threat to the U.S., nor China, a U.S. State Department spokesman said Friday.

"Certainly we have disagreements with Russia and its activities along or within the region (Eastern Ukraine), but we don't view it as an existential threat," Mark Toner, spokesman of the State Department told a news briefing.

Toner called Russia and China "major powers with whom we engage and cooperate on a number of issues, despite any disagreements we may have with them...You know, I would just say what the secretary does consider an existential threat is the rapid growth of extremist groups like ISIL, particularly in ungoverned spaces," Toner added.

U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford told senators on Thursday at his confirmation hearing, "If you want to talk about a nation that could pose an existential threat to the United States, I'd have to point to Russia. And if you look at their behavior, it's nothing short of alarming."

According to Toner, "General Dunford is expected to provide his views, his assessment on which nations or entities pose a threat to the United States, and that's his job."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest also said Thursday that the Dunford's comment reflected "his own view and doesn't necessarily reflect the...consensus analysis of the president's national security team." Endit