Rancho Mirage, California (CNN)President Barack Obama urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his air campaign against Syrian opposition forces during a phone call Saturday, the White House said, a day after Putin’s deputy described relations between Moscow and Washington sinking to Cold War depths.
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The group is trying to further outline the “cessation of hostilities” or informal ceasefire announced by the US secretary of state and Russia’s foreign minister on Friday. The pause is due to begin in a week’s time.
In a phone call with Mr Putin yesterday, Mr Obama stressed the need to quickly get humanitarian aid to besieged areas and initiating the cessation of hostilities across the war-wracked country, the White House statement said.
“Russia is determined to create facts on the ground, and when they have accomplished this, then they will invite the West to fight a common enemy, this is ISIS”, Roettgen said, referring to Islamic State. Syrian army forces – backed by pro-Iranian fighters and Russian warplanes – have also set their sights on Idlib, a city controlled by Islamist rebels to the west. The rapid advance provoked a storm of criticism by the USA and its allies, which accused the attacks of worsening the humanitarian situation.
If the February 12 agreement in Munich holds, it could ease Russia’s tensions with the U.S and the European Union, whose sanctions over Putin’s actions in Ukraine are deepening his country’s longest recession in two decades after an oil-price collapse.
It says Islamic State and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front are the main targets of its air campaign. “It allows Russia’s assault on Aleppo to continue for another week”, he said.
Rebel groups “have to prove they are ready to break with the jihadists, not just in words”, Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian lower house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said in an interview in Munich.
Russian Federation says the “cessation” does not apply to its air strikes, which have shifted the balance of power towards Assad.
Syria also said Turkish forces were believed to be among 100 gunmen that entered Syria on Saturday with a dozen pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns in an operation to supply rebel fighters.
Aided by Russian air power, Syrian government troops have almost encircled Aleppo, Syria’s second city. “Let’s be clear about what this agreement does”.
“Mr Putin is not interested in being our partner”. McCain also said he favors establishing a no-fly zone over Syria.
So-called local reconciliation agreements are often seen as a means for the government to force surrender on insurgents, and have typically followed lengthy blockades of rebel areas and the civilians living there.
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Administration officials have said there will be no change in that policy until the ceasefire is in place and Russian Federation demonstrates it has stopped bombing the opposition and is ready to support the anti-Islamic State campaign.
