The Washington Times: Russian military leaders are threatening to call off the longstanding agreement with the U.S. to share the skies above Syria, potentially putting American aircraft in the region at risk.
On Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook pressed Moscow to adhere to the deal, saying it was vital in order to “avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation” between the two countries.
The dispute adds yet another complication to the effort to end the Syrian civil war, where Russia and the U.S. are backing different sides, and take the fight to Islamic State and other jihadi groups that have set up a base in Syriaamid the six years of fighting.
“Up to this point we believe served its purpose in avoiding misunderstanding and miscalculation [and] avoiding potential problems in the air over Syria,” Mr. Cook said of the pact, reached between Washington and Russia last October.
The deal, which has prevented collisions between Russian fighters and U.S. aircraft conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria, remains “an effective means of communicating with the Russians at a time when we continue to have very significant difference with the Russians and their activities” in the country, he added during a briefing at thePentagon.
A second cease-fire brokered by Moscow and Washington broke down last month, with both sides blaming the other for the breakdown. Mr. Cook’s warning Thursday came just days after Russian forces deployed several anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria. The S-300 midrange and S-400 long-range missile systems were sent to defend Russia’s main airbase in Syria near the port city of Latakia, while bolstering the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a longtime ally of Moscow.
