“At present we are not conducting or coordinating military operations with Russian Federation, nor is it clear we will reach an agreement to do so”, the official said.
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United Nations envoy hopes for Syria progress in U.S.
Air strikes against those targets could be carried out by a combination of U.S. or Russian jets, the report said.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said only that joint U.S.
Captain Abdelsalam Abdurrazek, a spokesman for Nur al-Din Zenki, a CIA-vetted rebel entity fighting near Aleppo, decried the USA for offering “to support an ally of the Syrian regime and an enemy of the Syrian people”. “Why would we share intelligence and targeting information with people who’ve been doing that?”
The U.S. and Russian Federation are working on a controversial plan for greater military cooperation in Syria, where both powers are bombing the Islamic State but have starkly different views of the country’s future.
Ahead of the talks pessimistic United States officials were careful to say the trip was not a last chance for the United States diplomatic effort, but stressed they were running out of patience with Moscow.
“If we can get rid of those terrorists, if we can restore the stability in Syria, this is where we win”.
Such a partnership would undercut months of US criticism of Russia’s military intervention in Syria.
And according to Assad, the “very frank” relationship he has with Putin is rooted in their shared values and common interest: defeating terrorists.
“The Syrian Army has made a lot of advances recently”, he said.
It was not immediately possible to seek comment from officials in Moscow. The U.S. doesn’t want to be seen as entrenching Assad, whom American officials have referred to as a “butcher” and “mass murderer”.
Agreement on stopping indiscriminate bombing and a formula for a political transition would create the necessary conditions for a new round of talks and the possible basis of a peace deal, de Mistura said. It is a question of achievement, ‘ said Assad. “In fact, they keep asking us why we’re cozying up to Moscow”.
The Syrian leader said he was not concerned about the possibility of Washington and Moscow agreeing a deal that would involve him stepping down.
The Saudi foreign minister said Syria must move forward on a political transition that provides for an interim governing council with full power to manage state affairs and “lead to a new Syria without Bashar al-Assad in it”.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry was going to Russian Federation “yet again” to have “another go” at getting Moscow to buy in to a process that could lead to a nationwide cessation of hostilities.
He said the US-led airstrikes were actually “counter-productive”. Past talks, mediated by Mr.de Mistura in Geneva, have failed to achieve a breakthrough and fighting has continued despite a US-Russian-backed ceasefire.
Kerry was due in Moscow later on Thursday and was to hold talks first with Russian President Vladimir Putin. -Russian relations are slipping backward.
“Let’s see what happens in Moscow in next few hours”.
The proposed, U.S. -Russian “Joint Implementation Group” would be based near Amman, Jordan.
The military partnership is part of what US officials are terming a final offer to Moscow.
For that reason, the US has nearly entirely avoided bombing Nusra targets in recent months.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the United States is “not serious” about defeating ISIS, while voicing optimism about an end to Syria’s war.
