John Kerry Calls for Alignment Between the U.S. and Russia on Syria and Ukraine

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, said on Tuesday, December 15, that the United States and Russia need to find "grounds for alignment" regarding the Syrian war and stabilizing eastern Ukraine. According to the Associated Press, during his visit to Moscow, after negotiating with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Kerry stated that alignment among major powers on important crises is beneficial for the world. At the beginning of his visit to Moscow, which is expected to involve difficult negotiations with Russian officials, he said, "Even in cases where there are differences between the U.S. and Russia, we have been able to cooperate effectively on specific issues. Today, I hope we can find grounds for alignment and cooperation." Russia and the U.S. have disagreements over finding a solution for the transitional political process in Syria and how to fight against the Islamic State group. The negotiations between U.S. and Russian officials regarding another round of talks on the Syrian crisis, mediated by the United Nations, which is set to take place on Friday, will have significant implications. Regarding the Ukraine crisis, the two sides disagree on the implementation of the February agreement to end hostilities and conflict between the Ukrainian central government and Russian-backed rebels in the east of the country. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, also noted that the two countries have disagreements regarding the possibility of negotiations between representatives of the current Syrian regime and opposition groups planned for January. Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Lavrov stated that the U.S. should use its influence over the new Ukrainian government to resolve disputes with separatists, respect the shaky ceasefire in the region, and advance political reforms in eastern Ukraine. John Kerry praised Russia's role in advancing the resolution of the Syrian crisis and added that both the U.S. and Russia believe that the Islamic State group must be destroyed. The U.S. Secretary of State stated, "The U.S. and Russia agree that this group poses a serious threat to everyone and every country. This group is the worst example of terrorism, and its goal is to destroy history, culture, and human dignity. There is no option other than the cooperation of all civilized countries to eliminate this group." The Associated Press adds that the Russian Foreign Ministry, ahead of John Kerry's visit to Moscow, stated that the country wants the U.S. to reconsider its policy of dividing terrorists into "good" and "bad" groups. The ministry claimed that the U.S. is unwilling to accept "comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in advancing airstrikes in Syria." The Russian government claims that the goal of its airstrikes, which began in late September, has been the Islamic State group, but the U.S. and its Western allies believe that the main target of these strikes has been moderate rebel groups and strengthening Bashar al-Assad's regime. The future of Bashar al-Assad and his role in the transitional political process in Syria will be the most important topic in Kerry's negotiations with the Russian Foreign Minister and President. Russia has always emphasized that the Syrian people should decide on Bashar al-Assad's future. However, the U.S. and most of its allies demand that Bashar al-Assad step down from power. Some countries have recently softened their stance and accepted that Bashar al-Assad could be involved in the political power transition process in Syria, although they have not yet precisely defined his role. However, Syrian opposition groups demand that Bashar al-Assad step down from power at the beginning of the transitional process. This is John Kerry's second visit to Russia this year. He met with Vladimir Putin in May. However, this current visit is his first meeting with Russian officials since the deterioration of relations between the two countries over the annexation of Crimea and Russia's military operations in Syria. Since then, Barack Obama has also had brief meetings with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of two summits in Tokyo and Paris. John Kerry emphasized that the U.S. genuinely wants to resolve the differences between the two countries over the Ukraine crisis, but there are few signs of potential alignment in this regard. The U.S. and its Western allies have imposed economic sanctions on Moscow due to Russia's intervention in eastern Ukraine. John Kerry is asking Russia to implement all provisions of the February agreement for establishing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine in exchange for lifting these sanctions. According to that agreement, all heavy weapons must retreat from the front lines, Russian forces must withdraw from all areas controlled by rebels, all prisoners must be released, and international observers must be allowed to visit these areas. However, this ceasefire has been very shaky in recent months, and many of these provisions have not been implemented. The Russian Foreign Minister, in turn, placed the responsibility for resolving this crisis on the U.S., adding, "We are also interested in continuing dialogue on this issue, and we particularly want the U.S. to use its influence over the new Ukrainian government to resolve this crisis."