David Cameron is expected to signal the major shift in policy on a trip to the United Nations in New York this week.
Advertisement
While a cease-fire has held since the beginning of September, U.S. officials say thousands of Russian troops and heavy weapons remain on Ukrainian soil, something Russia denies.Moscow has said any support for Assad is in line with existing military contracts and that personnel have been sent to train the Syrian forces. The meeting with Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani focused on “Israeli violations in Jerusalem” and the situation in Gaza, as well as regional issues including Syria, according to a statement from the presidency.
“He’s butchered his own people, he’s helped create this conflict and this migration crisis, he’s one of the great recruiting sergeants for ISIL (Islamic State)”.
Asked if one of the objectives of the Kremlin in Syria is to save the government of that country, led by President Bashar al-Assad, Putin said yes.
“He can’t play a part in the future of Syria and that position hasn’t changed”.
“The Prime Minister’s view is still very clearly that in the endgame you need a different leader to build a peaceful and inclusive Syria“.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, during his stay at the UN General Assembly, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin press secretary, said.
The development comes two years after Mr Cameron suffered a damaging Commons defeat over proposals to launch air strikes in Syria. So Russian Federation supporting Assad means the war continues.
From the beginning of the uprising against his dictatorship, Assad has insisted that the opposition is wholly composed of terrorists.
However, Britain has stressed that Assad would not necessarily have to go immediately as part of any peace deal.
The new “co-ordination centre” in Iraq, reported by Fox News, and based on briefings from American officials, would be a step into what had previously been USA geopolitical territory. This has fuelled further tensions between the countries, with the Obama administration accusing the other of helping Assad’s regime to retain power.
The White House fears Mr Putin’s real motive is to take advantage of the crisis to widen its strategic footprint in the Middle East.
Advertisement
As early as 2012, he censured Western countries for wanting to “use militants from Al Qaeda or some other organizations with equally radical views to achieve their goals in Syria”. He added that Obama decided “that it was worth it at this point to engage with President Putin in a face-to-face meeting to see if the interests of the United States could be advanced”.
