Alongside Iran and Bashar Assad’s forces, Russia is laying waste to Syria’s western Idlib province. In its ferocious desire to maximize civilian suffering, Russia deserves new U.S. and European Union sanctions.
Because Russia’s intent is clear. As I noted on May 2, Russia has leveled or seriously damaged dozens of hospitals in airstrikes over the past two months. Those strikes have continued with especially brutal attacks last weekend. But these strikes aren’t tragic accidents of war. Instead, they are deliberate Russian actions to destroy the resolve of Idlib’s rebel groups to resist Assad’s forces. Vladimir Putin wants to create so much civilian suffering that those opposing Assad decide to throw down their arms. It is a war crime of scale and truly evil motivation. And while Ben Rhodes never figured it out, it is a standing strategic choice of Russian foreign policy.
So what should be done?
Well, recognizing Putin’s great desire to see a relaxation of current U.S. sanctions, the U.S. should double down against Russia. Trump should warn that unless Russia immediately suspends its targeting of civilian infrastructure, the U.S. will call on the European Union to agree to new sanctions on Russia’s most valuable export: its energy industry. That would force Putin to change course in Syria or suffer a new major blow to his economy. This U.S. demand would also put the EU in a position of acting for an obvious moral interest or showing a truly shameful difference between the body’s rhetoric and action.
Regardless, the U.S. must recognize the moral import of stopping what is happening in Idlib. Turkey pledged to prevent this massacre but has failed because President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is Putin’s new whipping horse. It’s up to us.
We should call out the Russians and punish them if they ignore us.
