Refusal to discuss Syrian settlement shows weakness of US: Putin
October 15, 2015, 1:09 pm

Putin during talks with Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana, Kazakhstan on 15 October 2015 [PPIO]

“I do not really understand how our American partners can criticise Russia’s actions in Syria to combat international terrorism if they are refusing to have a direct dialogue in such an important area as political settlement. I believe this stand is not constructive and the weakness of the American position in this case is probably based on the absence of any agenda on these issues,” Putin told journalists in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, on Thursday.

The Russian President added although “it seems as though there is nothing to talk about”, but Moscow “nevertheless leave the doors open and strongly hope for a constructive dialogue with all the participants in this complicated process, including our American partners”.

Putin is in Kazakhstan for an official trip during which he held talks with the Kazakh leadership including President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Russian jets started air strikes against terrorist targets in Syria two weeks ago.

Russia and the United States are moving closer to a possible agreement to provide for the safety of their aircraft over Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

“Yesterday, another round of negotiations was held on a possible agreement on ensuring the safety of Russian and US-led coalition flights over Syria. We note that our positions are moving closer on key provisions of the future document,” ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters.

Over the past 24 hours, Russian warplanes completed 33 sorties in Syria, striking ISIL facilities in the provinces of Idlib, Hama, Damascus, Aleppo, and Deir az-Zor, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Western media reports have quoted a pro-rebel monitor group based in the UK, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as saying Syrian troops and their allies, backed by Russian jets, attacked rebel-held towns north of the city of Homs on Thursday.

Russia began its aerial bombardment campaign against Islamist extremist forces in Syria on September 30 and says it has destroyed munition dumps and a large number of heavy vehicles belong to the Islamic State and other militia groups.

The Russian air strikes have weakened the militia groups fighting to depose the government of President Bashar Al Assad; the Syrian military has made considerable gains against these rebel groups in the past 10 days.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that it had forwarded a set of air safety draft proposals to the Pentagon.

TBP and Agencies