Statements that President Donald Trump made about Russia are not about making a "moral equivalency" between actions each country has taken, Vice President Mike Pence said Monday.
"The statements that he made were not in any way a moral equivalency between the high ideals and practices of the American people and the people of Russia," Pence told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.
"But rather, what the president is seeking to do is to begin anew a relationship with the people of Russia, and with their leadership, to say 'Are there ways that we can begin to work together?'"
Pence was referring to statements President Trump made during an interview with Bill O'Reilly that aired Sunday night.
O'Reilly called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "killer."
Trump replied: "There are a lot of killers. We've got a lot of killers. What, you think our country is so innocent?"
Pence said Trump is looking to renew better relations with Russia and other countries.
"What Donald Trump is determined to do is reassert American leadership on the world stage and look for renewed relationships with countries around the world, including Russia," Pence told "Fox & Friends" on Monday.
"Russia and the United States have a common enemy in ISIS. The president has made a priority of pulling together the world and the resources of the United States to hunt down and destroy ISIS so it can no longer threaten us or inspire violence here in the homeland. It's those kind of new opportunities that President Trump is committed to pursuing and I fully support him."
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