Mr. Carter, who made the comments on a trip to the U.K., didn’t directly address allegations that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and prominent members of the Democratic Party as part of an effort to interfere with the November election in the U.S.
But the secretary of defense did make an implicit reference to the matter in a broader speech on Russia, in which he hit out at the Kremlin for undermining the U.S., its allies and the international order. He said Russia wants to be recognized as the great power it is, but accused the Kremlin of pursuing that goal by undercutting the international community and acting out of misplaced fears.
“We don’t seek an enemy in Russia,” Mr. Carter said in a speech Wednesday to students at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. “But make no mistake: We will defend our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords all of us. We will counter attempts to undermine our collective security. And we will not ignore attempts to interfere with our democratic processes.”
The U.S. defense chief’s comments come days after Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton suggested Russia was using cyberattacks to try to tilt the race in the direction of her opponent, Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has said he would pursue talks and closer ties with President Vladimir Putin.
