Putin: U.S. has ‘mush for brains’

Pentagon officials are holding their third call with Russian military officials on Wednesday, focused on “specific safety protocols for aircrews flying over Syria,” according to a statement from Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook.

U.S. officials have spoken with their Russian counterparts twice before, but have reached no final agreement to deconflict airstrikes and keep pilots from both countries safe.

The Russians have conducted more than 80 airstrikes in Syria since beginning operations about two weeks ago, mainly targeting rebel groups to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. This move has drawn criticism from the West, which believes Russia should work with the coalition targeting the Islamic State, not rebel groups, some of which have been trained by the U.S.

“There may come a time in the future when Russia perceives that its approach isn’t going to work. But that time has not arrived yet, so for now, our work with them is specifically focused on air safety,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday.

Other than letting U.S. officials know that operations were beginning, there has been no military-to-military coordination between the two countries conducting strikes in the same area.

Responding to criticism of this lack of cooperation, Putin said he has asked the U.S. for coordinates of either groups Russia should strike or should avoid, and hasn’t received a response to either request.

“Recently, we have offered the Americans: ‘Give us objects that we shouldn’t target.’ Again, no answer,” he said, according to a New York Times report. “It seems to me that some of our partners have mush for brains.”

The lack of coordination presents a risk for pilots. There have been “several” incidents in which U.S. and Russian aircraft passed within miles of each other, including one where the American plane had to change its route to avoid the Russian jet, Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, said Tuesday.