FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Russian Officials Remark on Trump’s Withdrawal from Syria, and U.S. Relations
Dec. 26, 2018 (EIRNS)—Although no formal statement of cooperation between Russia and the United States has been made regarding the U.S. withdrawal from Syria, the Russian foreign policy leadership is making its views known on how to proceed.
On Monday, Dec. 24, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that it is important that Presidents Trump and Putin hold a summit. He said that it would be a mistake to believe that restoring relations between the two powers is more important to Russia than to the U.S. The following day, he said that Washington had set unacceptable preconditions for scheduling a summit (a reference to U.S. statements telling Russia how to handle the Ukrainian vessels in Russia’s possession), and urged the U.S. to drop its “counterproductive, artificial” requirements.
Today, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that, in keeping with international law, Syrian territory vacated by American troops should be returned to the government of Syria. She said that the troop withdrawal would have a positive impact on the conflict and promote a peaceful settlement. When asked about supposed Turkish plans to replace U.S. forces, she answered that Russia and Turkey have closely coordinated their actions in Syria, including military counter-terrorist operations.
Ryabkov said that he expects that the hotline through which the Russian and U.S. forces have coordinated their actions will remain even after the U.S. troops have left and that dismantling it would be a big mistake.
