A USA intelligence official said Russia’s moves in Syria reflect growing alarm about Assad’s ability to weather opposition gains and suggests that Moscow may be willing to intervene directly on his behalf.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke by telephone Friday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoygu, about the situation in Syria and insisted that no military reinforcements be provided for the Damascus regime.
Russian Federation insists that its support for Assad is geared towards fighting terrorism, and pushing back against the the so-called Islamic State (IS), a mutual enemy of the USA , Assad, and Russian Federation. The Pentagon said they discussed “mechanisms for deconfliction” in Syria. Over the last week, the Syrian air force launched heavy air strikes on the IS-held city of Raqqa, an important base of operations for IS in Syria, which is often targeted by the US-led coalition.
He told state television the government would be prepared to go further and ask Russian forces to fight alongside its troops if needed – though he said there were no Russian soldiers in Syria now. Another U.S. official declined to offer a number but confirmed the presence of multiple jets.
Mr Kerry said the U.S. was looking at ways the United States could do more to help alleviate the refugee crisis in Europe that has been partly caused by the exodus of Syrians fleeing the dual terrors of Assad and Isil.
“You have to have a conversation in order to do that”, Kerry said previously.
“Everybody is seized by the urgency”. “We can say they are all types of weapons, be it air or ground”.
Still, the White House cautioned Moscow against “doubling down on Assad”.
“The secretary (of defense) emphasized the importance of pursuing such consultations in parallel with diplomatic talks that would ensure a political transition in Syria”, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a readout. He noted that defeating ISIL and ensuring a political transition are objectives that need to be pursued at the same time.
Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of driving a pro-Russian separatist rebellion in east Ukraine, which started shortly after the Crimea annexation.
Speaking Tuesday at the Air Force Association’s annual conference outside Washington, D.C., Welsh acknowledged concerns about a “coordination problem” if Russian aircraft begin regular flights in Syria.
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“The trajectory that Putin was on for UNGA was to come to New York and basically be ignored”, said Andrew Weiss, vice-president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for worldwide Peace.
