White House open to talks with Russian Federation on Syria

Assad’s remarks struck a far more confident tone than a speech he gave in July in which he acknowledged military defeats because of manpower problems in his military.

According to an Israeli diplomatic official, Netanyahu will tell Putin that Israel will not accept any limits on its freedom to operate in Syria.

The US has been concerned about how to respond to Russia’s increased support for Assad and how to interpret the intent behind the delivery of tanks, helicopters and other military equipment to a base in the coastal province of Latakia.

On Wednesday, Kerry said that Russia had proposed opening a “military-to-military conversation” to ensure that Russian forces in Syria do not accidently clash with U.S. troops fighting ISIL terrorists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that his country could not join the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State in Syria because it was illegal and was built on “false foundations”.

“We support the government of Syria in its effort to counter terrorist aggression”, Putin noted on Tuesday at a security summit in Dushanbe, the capital of the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is considering Russia’s offer to hold military talks about Moscow’s role in the war in Syria.

Putin is one of the top patrons of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom the USA has called on to leave office.

Some 200 Russian naval infantry soldiers have been deployed to the airfield, along with temporary housing units, a portable air traffic control station and components of an air defense system.

Russia’s military buildup in Syria has perplexed the Obama administration and left it in a quandary as to how to respond. The official said the USA expects Russian Federation to send ground forces to protect and support these operations.

He denied refugees were fleeing his government and said they were escaping Islamic State, Nusra and other groups, which attack civilians, perpetrate killings, destroy infrastructure and deprive families of livelihoods.

Assad’s regime has been involved in a civil war with opposition militants and the ISIS terror group since the early spring of 2011.

President Barack Obama would welcome constructive Russian support for its efforts to create an anti-Islamic State collation in Syria, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Seprember 16.

At a meeting in London with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Kerry said the USA president hoped that talks would “help define some of the different options available to us as we consider next steps in Syria”.