Russia has pushed back against US pressure for the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria’s 89-month conflict.
On Tuesday, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said, ahead of a trip to Moscow, that Russia should seek the Iranian departure. Bolton indicated that reconstruction funds for the Assad regime could be a lever to get Russian acquiescence.
See Syria Daily, August 22: US Seeks Leverage Over Russia Through Reconstruction Funds
Russia and Iran have propped up the Assad regime since the beginning of the Syrian uprising in March 2011. However, both countries have their own economic difficulties and cannot provide the reconstruction money to cover more than $388 billion in damage during the conflict. So the Kremlin has been pushing for other countries to supply the funds, declaring this will ensure the return of many of the 6.6 million refugees who have left Syria.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Bolton on Wednesday, “The worsening of bilateral relations is continuing, we need to identify some kind of areas for cooperation and also to understand if there are any such areas and whether our counterpart has a desire for this.”
Peskov continued with a specific jibe at Bolton’s remarks, adding the Kremlin’s own pursuit of the departure of US forces — who are supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — from the north and east of Syria:
The statement that Russia is stuck is not correct, even more so coming from our colleagues in Washington. We shouldn’t forget that American soldiers are also on Syrian territory.
The Kremlin advisor concluded with Russia’s template rhetoric, avoiding any reference to Bolton’s injunction against more pro-Assad chemical attacks — including in any attempt to reoccupy Idlib Province in northwest Syria: “[Russia] plays a very active role in saving Syria from international terrorism, from the Islamic State and other terrorist groups and in putting Syria on the track of political and diplomatic settlement.”
