NO PLANNING FOR SAFE ZONES: Despite the fact the topic came up in his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump has not ordered any Pentagon planning for the imposition of safe or de-confliction zones in Syria, Pentagon officials tell us. “We’re not involved,” said one official, who pointed out that the Russian proposal involved mostly areas in the west where the civil war between the Bashar Assad regime and opposition rebels has been raging for more than six years. The U.S. has no troops in that area, and no plans to send any, said another official. “I am not aware of any plan that would put more U.S. boots on the ground,” the official said.

A very small number of U.S. troops are already serving in a sort of quasi-peacekeeping role, patrolling areas in Syria where rival factions might otherwise be fighting among themselves, but sources say there has been no planning for any expanded presence to implement or enforce safe areas. The Russian proposal is expected to be among the ideas discussed in Russian-backed peace this week in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.