US, Russia military chiefs discuss Syria

WASHINGTON: The chiefs of the US and Russian militaries met in Austria on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria, where a residual US military force will remain following the territorial defeat of the Islamic State group.

General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, in Vienna, Dunford’s spokesman Colonel Pat Ryder said.

“The two military leaders discussed the deconfliction of coalition and Russian operations in Syria, and exchanged views on the state of US-Russia military relations and the current international security situation in Europe and other key topics,” Ryder said in a statement.

Since Russia’s entry into the Syria conflict in 2015, Moscow and Washington have ‘deconflicted’ their respective operations against IS, warning each other of planned air operations to avoid contact.

“Both leaders recognize the importance of maintaining regular communication to avoid miscalculation and to promote transparency and deconfliction in areas where our militaries are operating in close proximity,” Ryder said.

The meeting — the first since June — comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Russia, with the Pentagon pursuing a renewed focus on Russia as a ‘great power’ competitor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday officially suspended Russia’s participation in the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, a key Cold War-era arms agreement, after Washington first moved to ditch the deal. The INF treaty eliminated short- and mediumrange ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and missile launchers from Europe. Despite the conflict in Syria and the rising bilateral tensions, the military chiefs have kept open a channel of communications. — AFP