Putin, Trump talk as Russia launches bid for Syria peace
Leaders focus on region’s stability
Russian President Vladimir Putin talked with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump by phone for about an hour on Tuesday as the Kremlin mounts a diplomatic push to resolve the war in Syria following a surprise visit by Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
Mr. Putin has taken a dominant role in efforts to end the conflict after a two-year Russian military campaign helped Assad to fight off opponents, including some backed by the U.S. With the Islamic State group nearly defeated in Syria, the Kremlin is moving on to bring together regional and global powers to revive long-stalled efforts to reach a settlement expected to cement the Syrian president in power.
Mr. Trump did not bring up the issue of political transition, an administration official said. Instead, the White House said the two leaders agreed on the importance of stability, ending the war, fighting terrorism and allowing refugees to go home.
The Trump administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the confidential call with Mr. Putin, said Mr. Trump’s emphasis on stability did not signal a change in American policy, just that the president considered peace the priority. Nor did Mr. Trump bring up Russia’s veto last week of a Security Council resolution that would have extended the investigation into who used chemical weapons in Syria, the official said.
“Things are obviously complicated with Russia,” a State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, told reporters.
Mr. Putin also planned to speak to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday to discuss the nearly three hours of talks the Russian leader held with Assad in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani will meet Mr. Putin in Sochi on Wednesday to discuss a political resolution in Syria.
“The most important question, of course, is what will happen after the defeat of the terrorists in terms of a peaceful political settlement,” Mr. Putin told Assad at their meeting in Sochi on Monday, according to a Kremlin transcript. He noted the Syrian leader’s support for a Russia-backed peace plan.
Expressing thanks for Russia’s role, Assad told Mr. Putin the time is right for negotiations, “especially after we attained victory” over the Syrian government’s opponents. He added: “We’re counting on Russia’s support to ensure the non-intervention of outside players in the political process, so that their role is to support the efforts of the Syrians themselves.”
Mr. Putin told Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Rouhani before the meeting with Assad that he’d work to ensure agreements on Syria that may be reached at their three-way summit are “viable,” Mr. Peskov said. The Kremlin said Mr. Putin also held talks with the Emir of Qatar on Monday.
Assad’s visit, which wasn’tpublicly announced until the following day, echoed a similar trip to Russia that he made in 2015 shortly after Mr. Putin launched his air and ground campaign in Syria. The campaign turned the tide in the war in favor of the embattled Syrian president, whom western nations have long sought to see removed.
“The active phase of the military operation in Syria is coming to an end,” Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov told his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in Sochi on Tuesday, according to a Defense Ministry statement. Their joint efforts “preserved the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, stopped the civil war, and created the conditions for the restoration of peace and the return of refugees,” he said.
Russia plans to conclude its military intervention by the end of the year, leaving behind only enough forces to maintain an airfield and naval base in Syria, RBC newspaper reported, citing three unnamed officials in the Foreign and Defense Ministries and close to the Kremlin.
Mr. Putin, who’s likely to seek a record fourth term in presidential elections in March, presented Assad to the military commanders who led Russia’s effort. “I want to introduce to you the people who played a decisive role in saving Syria,” he said.
“Today, on behalf of the Syrian people, I extend my gratitude to you for what you did,” Assad said.
The Russian leader’s triumphant tone underscores his success in turning the tables on the U.S., which under Barack Obama pressed for Assad’s removal.