President Donald Trump will raise the possibility of creating a jointly established no-fly zone in Syria with Russia during his Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement Wednesday.
“The United States is prepared to explore the possibility of establishing with Russia joint mechanisms for ensuring stability, including no-fly zones, on the ground ceasefire observers, and coordinated delivery of humanitarian assistance,” Tillerson declared in his late night statement.
The secretary’s statement also floated the idea that, if the creation of such zones is successful, “it will lay a foundation for progress on the settlement of Syria’s political future.” The U.S. government’s position on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad remains in flux. The Trump administration initially indicated that it was no longer a priority to see Assad leave power in early April.
This policy quickly changed after Assad again used chemical weapons against civilians, prompting an April 7 cruise missile strike from President Donald Trump. Tillerson clarified that the U.S. no longer saw a future for Assad at the helm of Syria, but would instead focus on defeating ISIS in Syria.
Tillerson’s statement sought to tie the need for Russian cooperation in Syria to the U.S. mission to defeat ISIS, saying, “In order to complete the mission, the international community, and especially Russia, must remove obstacles to the defeat of ISIS and help provide stability that prevents ISIS from rising anew from the ashes of their failed and fraudulent caliphate.”
Trump frequently floated the idea of working with Russia in Syria during the 2016 campaign, but little has changed on the ground since he took office. Tillerson’s emphasis on removing “obstacles to the defeat of ISIS” also recalls recent tensions between Russia, Syria, Iran and the U.S.
U.S. aircraft shot down two Iranian drones in Syria in the month of June and shot down a Syrian Regime plane. In each case Iranian backed forces and the Syrian regime were targeting U.S. backed anti-ISIS forces prompting warnings from to the U.S. from Russia.
U.S. based security advisory firm The Soufan Group noted Wednesday that these actions are part of a concerted effort by Iran and the Syrian regime to capitalize on U.S. backed gains and “establish a secure land corridor extending from Iran to Lebanon, enabling Iran to better supply its main regional ally, Lebanese Hezbollah, which supports pro-Iranian forces in Syria.”
Tillerson addressed Iran’s land grabs in his statement, saying, “The United States believes Russia, as a guarantor of the Assad regime and an early entrant into the Syrian conflict, has a responsibility to ensure that the needs of the Syrian people are met and that no faction in Syria illegitimately re-takes or occupies areas liberated from ISIS’ or other terrorist groups’ control.”
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