Russia’s Lavrov hopes Russia-US talks will help Syria truce

“We’re not entering into a transaction that is founded on trust”, Marine General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford said at a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

“There will be specific procedures and processes in any transaction we might have with the Russians that would – that would account for protecting our operational security”.

The dispute over the Nusra Front has undermined the Russia- and USA -brokered truce with fighting continuing to rage in many areas in Syria.

At a Pentagon news conference with Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Dunford said he was well aware of Secretary of State John Kerry’s ongoing efforts to reach an accommodation with Russian Federation on Syria, but “it’s hard for me to comment on whether it will be viable”. In exchange Moscow would use its influence with the Syrian regime to effectively ground the Syrian air force.

Kerry held marathon talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov in Moscow earlier this month, striking an agreement on “concrete steps” to salvage a failing truce and cooperate on battling extremist groups in Syria.

USA defense and intelligence agencies have reportedly had strong reservations about sharing intelligence with the Russians or cooperating in a way that could reveal sensitive US military methods, techniques, and procedures.

“We had hoped that [Moscow] would promote a political solution and transition to put an end to the civil war”, Carter said, but “they’re a long way from doing that”. “And second, the defeat of extremism there and in Iraq”, Carter said. And to the extent that Russia can align with USA interests, we work with them as has been the case in Iran, North Korea and other places where USA and Russian interests have aligned. This concern has lingered despite the deal apparently being entirely proposed by the US.

The FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers were responsible for the breach, which has caused deep embarrassment to the Democratic Party and prompted accusations that Moscow is trying to influence the U.S. presidential election.

In Europe, the Russian military has conducted a series of aggressive actions and maneuvers against USA military ships and planes.

U.S. intelligence chief James Clapper was quoted in a Washington Post story on Thursday as saying: “I’ve expressed my reservations about, for example, sharing intelligence with (the Russians). which they desperately want, I think, to exploit, to learn what they can about our sources and methods and tactics and techniques and procedures”, he said.