US lawmaker: Russia spying in ‘chilly’ world

The alleged Russian spy ring broken up this week by the FBI shows that “the Cold War may have thawed, but the world is still chilly,” a senior US lawmaker cautioned Wednesday.

“This goes to show that America remains a top espionage target for the Russians,” said Representative Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.

Hoekstra said the arrests of 11 suspected Russian agents cast doubt on President Barack Obama’s vaunted “reset” of ties with the Kremlin.

“No matter how hard President Obama tries to ‘reset’ the relationship, some things are likely to remain the same. The Cold War may have thawed, but the world is still chilly,” the lawmaker said.

The US State Department has said the Obama administration wants to “move beyond” the incident and was “not anticipating” any diplomatic steps in response to the arrests of 11 suspected Russian agents.

During the Cold War, the discovery of spy rings often led to expulsion of diplomats by either the United States or Soviet Union, which sometimes triggered similar responses from the other side.