Kerry worries about Russian strikes against moderate Syrian opposition

On Tuesday Secretary of State John Kerry went into meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov not knowing whether Moscow would veto a third round of global talks on Syria on Friday.

“Serious differences remain between Russia and the United States over ways to resolve the Syria crisis”, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

A follow-up conference is set to take place on Friday in NY.

Both he and Lavrov said the negotiations would lead quickly to a UN Security Council resolution to underpin the Syria peace process. “On that route there are still questions which today we need to look at”, Mr Lavrov said in his opening remarks.

Speaking to reporters, Kerry quickly added that the USA still does not believe that Bashar al-Assad has a future as the leader of the country.

Mr. Kerry emphasized that his talks had not focused on the immediate fate of the head of the Syrian state but rather on the political transition process.

“We have consistently said that the world is better off when Russian Federation and the U.S. find common ground and the ability to work together”, Kerry said.

Oh well. In far more important news, Kerry said he was “wicked psyched” to discover a Dunkin Donuts on his trip to Moscow.

This week, Russian officials listed a number opposition groups their warplanes are allegedly backing in Syria, apparently affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

More than 250,000 people have died since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011, and millions more have fled their homes.

The U.K.-based network said that only 27 out of Russia’s approximately 138 airstrikes targeted areas under Daesh control, with the majority of air raids pounding opposition-held areas.

“We are very grateful for these efforts”, Kerry said.

Earlier Tuesday in the Kremlin, Putin noted several “outstanding issues” between Russian Federation and its former Cold War foe. Fast forward to 2015, and Secretary of State John Kerry is hunky dory with Assad staying put.

The German military says it’s flown its first mission in support of the coalition effort against the so-called Islamic State group in Syria.

What happens to Assad now seems less important than what happens with the Islamic State, indicating a clear evolution in USA strategy regarding Syria and Iraq.

Washington has accused Moscow of mainly targeting moderate Syrian opposition forces that are backed by the West in an attempt to prop up the regime of Assad, a key ally of Russian Federation in the region.

US-Russia ties have also been strained over Ukraine, but Washington said it would not be drawn into bargaining with Russia over the sanctions it imposed over Moscow’s interference there.