President Trump on Monday said U.S.-Russia cooperation in Syria could ease humanitarian suffering there, but he stopped short of announcing any changes to military operations in the ongoing war against the Islamic State.
The president raised the possibility of cooperation during a joint post-summit press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said that he also warned the Russian leader against expanded Iranian influence in Syria.
“As we discussed in length, the crisis in Syria is a complex one. Cooperation between our two countries has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives,” Trump said. “I also made clear that the United States will not allow Iran to benefit from our successful campaign against ISIS. We have just about eradicated ISIS in the area.”
A flurry of reports speculated that Trump was prepared to cut a deal with Putin on military operations in Syria as the two leaders held their first summit Monday in Helsinki. But the president, who has spoken in the past about wanting to withdraw U.S. troops, made no mention of a shift.
Amid deep tensions, the two leaders stuck a tone of reconciliation and Putin pointed to Syria as a way to kick off cooperation on a variety of international issues.
“As far as Syria is concerned, the task of establishing peace and reconciliation in this country could be the first showcase example of the successful joint work,” Putin said through a translator. “Russia and the United States apparently can act rapidly and take assumed leadership on this issue, and organize a direction to overcome humanitarian crises and help Syrian refugees to go back to their homes.”
The United States has been fighting ISIS in Syria since 2014 with the help of local allies, while the government of Bashar Assad, with the backing of Moscow and Iran, has been trying to crush an uprising against his rule. The conflict has reduced swaths of the country to rubble.
