Talks between Kerry and Lavrov

26.08.2016

Talks between  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry began today in Geneva, Switzerland. On the agenda there are the peace process in Syria and the situation in Ukraine.

The main themes

Officially, the main theme of the talks is coordination between Russia and the United States on the fight against ISIS in Syria. They will also discuss the situation in Aleppo, the question of a political settlement in Syria. It is likely that the parties will discuss Turkey and the beginning of its military operations in the north of Syria.

US pressure

The United States, on the eve of the negotiations, has been deliberately aggravating the situation in Syria, and Ukraine. Ukrainian troops have increased their intensity of the shelling of Donbass after the failure of attempts to organize terrorist attacks in Russian Crimea. Officials of the UN Commission published a report in which it accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons. This document is now being used to put pressure on Moscow and Damascus. For the US  this is a possible cause for direct intervention in the conflict.

Related links
Donbass and Syrian Fronts: Two stages of a Single War
How can Syria deflect the US-UK “Federation” Spin?
The boundaries of a compromise: Russia, Turkey and Northern Syria
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