Kerry: The US and Russia intend to take fundamental steps regarding Syria

On July 20, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that the US and Russia are planning to take "fundamental steps" to establish a ceasefire and enhance capabilities to combat the al-Nusra Front and ISIS. Kerry, during a joint press conference with UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, stated, "I intend to update you on the recent trip to Moscow and discussions with President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov and the fundamental steps we plan to take." According to the US State Department, Kerry mentioned that delegations from both countries will meet soon to discuss strengthening the ceasefire and increasing capacities to combat the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria: al-Nusra Front, and also ISIS. The US Secretary of State reiterated that Washington and Moscow have a "shared understanding" of the path to be taken. Previously, following his meeting last week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he stated that Russia and the US had reached a "shared understanding" regarding the steps that need to be taken to revive the peace process in Syria. Kerry and Lavrov also had another phone conversation on July 20. The Russian news agency TASS reported, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry, that the two sides discussed taking "fundamental steps" to revive peace negotiations in Syria and suppress terrorist groups in the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement did not mention the "terrorist groups" being discussed. A US-led coalition conducts airstrikes against the group known as ISIS and also al-Nusra Front in Syria. From the UN's perspective, these two groups are currently recognized as "terrorist" and the ceasefire in Syria does not include them. Russia also conducts separate airstrikes, which have faced criticism from the West; the coalition claims these strikes also target Western-backed rebels, referred to as moderate rebels. Both the US and Russia support certain parties directly involved in ground battles. The US supports a group of rebels and a coalition of Kurds and Arabs, while Russia supports the central government army and Bashar al-Assad's supporters. During his press conference, Kerry emphasized that "we will do everything we can to improve the situation of water, food, medical supplies, and basic needs delivery" in besieged or remote areas. Both Kerry and Boris Johnson urged Russia to pressure the Syrian government to stop attacks on rebels and civilians. Boris Johnson stated, "Russia has a unique ability to pressure Assad and end the slaughter and return to the negotiating table." Reuters quoted a Kremlin spokesperson saying that there was no direct discussion of "military cooperation" in the talks between Kerry and Lavrov. More than five years have passed since the Syrian civil war began, and efforts to end one of the most extensive contemporary violence, which is believed to have left nearly half a million casualties, have not yielded results.