CIA Director Mike Pompeo says Russia is interested in staying in Syria, partly because they “love to stick it to America.”
Asked if Russia is America’s friend or adversary, Pompeo replied: “It’s complicated.”
He said Thursday that he’s happy to work with Moscow on counterterrorism issues, but that it’s clear that Russians “find anyplace they can to make our lives more difficult.”
Pompeo spoke at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts in Aspen, Colorado.
Pompeo also says that Iran’s work to gain a foothold in Syria is only one example of its aim to become the “kingpin” of the Middle East.
