The White House, Pentagon and State Department are considering it, and Kerry suggested that he favored such an idea.
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“We have said before that we would welcome Russian contributions to the overall global effort against (the IS)”, he said.
But thus far Kerry and the rest of the Obama administration have been totally flummoxed about what to do about it other than issue “stern” warnings – because we all know how that makes Putin tremble in his boots.
Kerry did not indicate whether the talks covered the US-led fight against Islamic State jihadists, who hold a wide swath of territory in Syria and Iraq.
In his call with Lavrov on Tuesday, his third in 10 days, Kerry said he sought clarity about Moscow’s moves and warned that Russian support for Assad “risks exacerbating and extending the conflict”.
Russian Federation has deployed about 200 naval infantry soldiers to the airfield, as well as temporary housing units, a portable air traffic control station, artillery and half a dozen tanks, the officials said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Russian Federation has proposed holding “military-to-military” talks on Syria, amid USA concern about Moscow s continued build-up of equipment in the war-ravaged nation.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed Thursday that Moscow is happy to talk to Washington about its military cooperation with Syria and provide any information that the US wants.
USA officials say Putin’s intentions in Syria, particularly in the medium- to long-term, remain a mystery.
Even if Russians operated the missiles and kept them out of the hands of the Syrian army, the arrival of such an advanced anti-aircraft system could unsettle Israel.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest meanwhile said Obama and Putin might meet in New York, though he could not confirm any actual plans.
The statement also criticised the coalition’s actions in Syria, where it “continues to actively support with money and weapons the anti-government groups battling the Syrian army, which is the main force opposing ISIS“.
Western leaders have criticized al-Assad for presiding over the violent fragmentation of his country, a war that helped spawn the rise of the militant group ISIS and has driven more than four million Syrians to flee overseas.
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Assad told the media outlets from Russian Federation, a major ally, that Tehran’s support was also essential for his regime in Syria’s conflict, which has cost more than 240,000 lives since 2011.
