U.S. Seeks to Redraw Ties With Russia in Syrian Conflict Kerry holds out possibility of working with Moscow again despite U.S. decision to pull out of cease-fire talks By Felicia Schwartz

Posted By on October 5th, 2016

http://www.wsj.com/articles/kerry-faults-russia-for-prolonging-syria-conflict-1475584062

The Obama administration has set about redrawing its relationship with Russia amid this week’s diplomatic breakdown over Syria, taking on one of its most complex foreign-policy challenges just three months before a new president takes office.

Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry held out the possibility of once again working with Moscow after pulling out of talks over a Syrian cease-fire deal the day before.

While he faulted Russia for prolonging the war by tying its interests to the Assad regime and turning a blind eye to its brutality, his comments also underscored Moscow’s influence in bringing any resolution to the conflict.

 “Russia knows exactly what it needs to do to get that cessation implemented in a fair and reasonable way,” Mr. Kerry said, as he urged Russia and the Assad regime to grant humanitarian access in Syria.

The move to formally walk away Monday from the cease-fire and military-cooperation agreement reached with Russia last month heightens pressure on Washington to spell out its next steps in Syria. But neither Mr. Kerry nor officials in Washington offered any new specifics Tuesday.

 

Mr. Kerry said the U.S. wanted Russian and Syrian warplanes out of the skies over Aleppo, but didn’t lay out a plan to do so. U.S. officials also said that one option could involve U.S. strikes on Syrian forces, although they acknowledged such a move carried risks of escalating a confrontation with Russia and is unlikely.

Senior national-security officials, including cabinet secretaries, will meet this week to weigh new options on Syria, officials said.

Arab officials this week voiced deep skepticism that the Obama administration would change course in Syria and engage in any stepped-up efforts to pressure the Assad regime. These officials said their governments have assumed the White House will hand Syria policy over to the next U.S. administration virtually unchanged from its current cautious approach.

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