Geoffrey: Russia succeeds militarily in Syria but encounters political problem

U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey said Russia has managed to achieve a very large military success in Syria but faces a problem with the lack of a political exit, and pointed out that the Russian is dissatisfied with Assad but sees no alternative.

12 May, 2020 17:43

News Desk-

Russia has vital interests in Syria, including maintaining its military bases in the country and protecting its economic investments, Jeffrey said at a video conference organized by the Hudson Institute for Strategic Studies on Tuesday.

He added that Moscow believes that with its limited military intervention in Syria, it can achieve significant strategic successes.

"They are already very successful in Syria militarily. All the problem is that there is no political way out because of the difficulties related to Assad. Our mission is to open the way forward for them through the United Nations, but that requires to keep a little further away from Assad and the Iranians."

Asked if he believed in reports of Moscow's dissatisfaction with the Syrian president, Jeffrey said: "Yes, we consider these reports to be true. We've talked to the Russians over the last year, and they're not satisfied with Assad. But the problem is that they see no alternative."

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ANHA