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McCain, a leading
foreign policy voice in the U.S. Congress, was speaking in an
interview in Australia, where he has held security talks on his
way to a defense summit in Singapore.
"I think he (Putin) is the premier and most important threat,
more so than ISIS," McCain said in an interview on Australian
Broadcasting Corp television.
He said while there was no evidence the Russians succeeded in
changing the U.S. election outcome, they were still trying to
change elections, including the recent French vote.
"I view the Russians as the far greatest challenge that we
have," said McCain, who is chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed
Services Committee.
"So we need to have increased sanctions and hopefully when we
come back from our recess, the Senate will move forward with
sanctions on Russia and enact other penalties for Russian
behavior."
McCain, who has been a critic of President Donald Trump, said he
believes the national security team around Trump is developing a
strategy that will lead to "victory" in Afghanistan, and Trump
has great confidence in that team.
"I do believe that most of the time that he accepts their advice
and counsel. Can I tell you that he does all the time? No. And
yes, does it bothers me? Yes, it bothers me," he said.
(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Richard Pullin)
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