OPINION

Wanted: serious response

The reported plot by Russia’s military intelligence service to pay a bounty to the Taliban in Afghanistan for killing U.S. and coalition forces, if confirmed, will mark another escalation of Russia’s conflict with the West, a turn in the shadow wars that would seem to cry out for a forceful response. President Donald Trump’s reaction in recent days—that he wasn’t told, that it is a hoax—has been utterly inadequate.

The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence agencies concluded months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit offered money for killing Americans last year, and one piece of evidence was the discovery in a raid on a Taliban outpost of a large amount of U.S. cash.

Why Russia did this can only be guessed at, but it clearly fits with President Vladimir Putin’s pursuit of asymmetric warfare against the West, from cyberattacks and interfering in the 2016 U.S. election to an attempted poisoning of a former spy in Britain.

A proper U.S. response would begin with loud and open protest to Putin. It would expose enough of the intelligence to make it credible, and then the United States would work with NATO allies on sanctions and other measures. It is definitely not the time to invite Russia to join the Group of Seven leaders at their next meeting, as Trump suggested this month.

Congress could start by approving the long-pending Deter Act, aimed at discouraging Russian interference in this year’s election, and investigating the latest intelligence and U.S. nonresponse.

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