However, Russia “must protect the Russian sovereignty – this is what we do and will be doing, of course”, Putin said.
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As a result, advisers said Mr. Obama may have to essentially wait out Russia’s intervention.
“Adjusting one programme, even if it were successful, will not solve the problem”. The administration is moving forward with plans to put fresh pressure on Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State, by providing ammunition and perhaps weapons to Syrian opposition forces and increasing airstrikes there. And is it true that their main objective is to protect Assad, especially considering-and Moscow knows this all too well-that he will be unable to remain in power if there is a political solution to the conflict?
Russian Federation said yesterday it had stepped up its bombing campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria, while local observers said several of the air strikes had hit areas in western Syria where the hardline group has little presence.
The layers of complexity are hard to unravel.
The death of a top Iranian military commander in Syria at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has not only dealt a “psychological blow” to elements backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but also shows the extent of Iranian involvement in the fighting.
Last month General Lloyd Austin – who heads the U.S. military’s Central Command, which is overseeing efforts against the Islamic State – conceded that only “four or five” Pentagon-trained rebels were engaged in Syria.
Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, made the case that the United States is in a box of its own creation.
White House and Pentagon officials insisted the “pause” in efforts to train Syrian fighters outside the country would allow them to re-focus their efforts elsewhere. Riyadh is one of the leading backers of rebels fighting to overthrow Assad.
A senior U.S. defence official, speaking to reporters travelling with Mr Carter, said the programme itself was not ending, adding there would be a few training and vetting of Syrian rebels in the future. A Syrian rebel commander leading the trainees last week handed over a half-dozen vehicles to extremist militants.
Putin reiterated that Russia will not send ground troops to Syria and said he does not seek to stoke religious tensions in the Middle East. Russian airstrikes, which have included missiles launched from the Caspian Sea, are meant to stabilise the legitimate authorities, he said. Their top priority is to avoid an accidental clash between Russian and American aircraft in the skies over Syria, a prospect that deeply worries Pentagon officials.
American officials have accused Russian Federation however of attacking targets not belonging to the so-called Islamic State.
If they are seeking a high-profile act of violence to force the Russian public and the Kremlin to take notice, they would be likely to try to attack a civilian target in or near Russia’s big population centres.
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We have a new entry in the “Who’s going to support terrorists more” sweepstakes. “We need different tools at different points,” he said. Russian airstrikes have raised questions about whether and how the USA would protect rebel groups it is working with if they are hit by Russian bombs. “Rethinking those mistakes doesn’t give you the solution for the moment that we’re in today”.
