... create a defense alliance similar to NATO in the Middle East does not look realistic
Early in the morning of Saturday, September 10th, 2016 in Geneva, after 13 hours of exhausting talks, John Kerry, the US secretary of state, and Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced a tentative ceasefire deal for Syria. They also stated that this deal was to lead the way to a joint US-Russian air campaign against the ISIS and other extremist groups and new negotiations on the country’s political future. This US-Russian agreement was the second and the last ambitious ...
Annexing eastern Ukraine isn't one, Carnegie Center's Dmitry Trenin writes
During the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Russia broke from the post–Cold War system and openly challenged U.S. dominance. This effectively ended 25 years of cooperation ... ... Lavrov, appeasement of the West at the expense of Russian national interests is over.
On the contrary, Russia’s operation in Syria, which began in the fall of 2015, poses a fresh challenge to the U.S.-dominated order. Moscow has broken a post–Cold War ...
In principle, the stated intention of the U.S. to work with Moscow toward a “unified Syria” does not contradict the Russian idea of creating de-escalation zones on the ground. The statement emphasizes the preferred political outcome of the Syrian conflict, which is to avoid redrawing borders and partitioning the country. The Kremlin would definitely support this approach....
A closed meeting on Syrian settlement and the prospects of cooperation between Russia and the West in the Middle East and Northern Africa took place in RIAC July 24.
A closed meeting on Syrian settlement and the prospects of cooperation between Russia and the West in the Middle East and Northern Africa took place in RIAC July ...
... States and Russia did was “reset” the format of the southern de-escalation zone as defined in Astana. In particular, this is the scenario at which Associated Press sources hinted when saying that the current agreement between the United States and Russia has nothing to do with the Astana memorandum.
It is possible that, following the creation of the southern de-escalation zones and the security zone, with the USA among the guarantor nations, creation of similar de-escalation zones elsewhere in Syria will be discussed or is, indeed, already being discussed.
Since February 2017, pro-government forces have been conducting active operations in the governorates of Daraa and Quneitra not just against Tahrir al Sham, but also against the aforementioned ...
Relations between the U.S. and Russia appear to be almost at the point of no return
Relations between the U.S. and ... ... are serious issues that directly impact domestic politics and popular attitudes. Accusations of interference in the electoral systems raise questions about the legitimacy... ... terms in the aftermath. Then, in early April 2017, the U.S. fired 59 cruise missiles at Syrian airbase on grounds that the Syrian military had allegedly used chemical weaponry...
1) US officials have said that they will start
tough
and frank dialogue with Russia. They have also said that as relations are at their lowest point since the cold war that from there they can only get better.... ... Treaty. Second, to work together on dangerous regional problems – such as Afghanistan, North Korea or Libya and, hopefully, Syria as well. Third, to explore ways for collaborating on fighting against international terrorism on the global scale. Each ...
The central issue of Wednesday's meetings in Moscow was whether Russia would give in. An immediate change of policy was obviously not on the cards since it is not in Putin's nature to make sudden concessions under pressure. But will he gradually and incrementally pull the rug from under the Syrian president?
According to Russian experts in Moscow, there are multiple reasons why the Kremlin will not. They range from concerns about future chaos in Syria in the aftermath of regime change to the damage that would be inflicted on Russia's reputation ...
... getting accurate data that will determine its further actions on this basis. However, the fact that the Americans and their allies rushed to blame the Syrian leader and already used force makes the prospects for such an investigation extremely vague.
The Syrian issue in the current conditions pushes other problems of Russian-American relations to the background. Now it will be much more difficult to put them into separate "baskets". Mutual accusations and accusations against Syria increase the discontent of both capitals on such issues as intermediate and shorter range missiles, strategic offensive weapons, missile defense, the balance of power in Europe, the situation in Ukraine and many ...
... experts put the blame on the Syrian army. However, the
official report
, which was released in September 2013 after the UN investigation was complete, did not contain any confirmations that Syrian regime was responsible for the attack.
Back in 2013 Russia and the U.S. came up with the delicate plan which made Syria to join OPCW and get rid of its chemical weapons stockpiles. By 2016 this mission was accomplished, although accusations of Syrian government using chemical weapons are still here.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Senior advisor Steve Bannon stands
between U.S. Deputy National Security
Advisor for Strategy Dina Powell
and Ivanka Trump as U.S. President
Donald Trump delivers ...
