McCain: Russia is a bigger threat than ISIS

John McCain.
(Image credit: Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

When it comes to global security, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) argues that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses a larger threat than the Islamic State.

"I think [Putin] is the premier and most important threat, more so than ISIS," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday, before he headed to Singapore for a defense summit. Russia continues to meddle in elections, most recently in France, McCain said, and because of that he views Russia as "the far greatest challenge that we have. 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."

Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.