US offers Russia a new partnership

Associated Press

MOSCOW

The United States on Thursday offered Russia a broad new military partnership in Syria, hoping the attraction of a unified campaign against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida – and a Russian commitment to ground Syria’s bombers – could end five years of civil war. If finalized, the deal could dramatically alter America’s role in the conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Thursday to present him the new ideas. The eight-page proposal, which The Washington Post published on its website, shows the U.S. offering intelligence and targeting sharing, and even joint bombing operations. It is a pact Moscow long had wanted, but the Obama administration resisted.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to make some genuine progress that is measurable and implementable and that can make a difference in the course of events in Syria,” Kerry said. Putin said he was looking for “tangible results.”

The proposal would undercut months of U.S. criticism of Russia’s military actions in Syria, and put the U.S. alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad’s chief international backer.