US says Russia is “trapped” in Syria

US National Security Advisor John Bolton (Photo: Reuters)

In an interview with Reuters, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said that Russia is “stuck” in Syria and is looking for sources to fund the post-war reconstruction of Syria. Mr. Bolton said this could give Washington an advantage in negotiations with Moscow to pressure Iranian forces to withdraw from Damascus.

“Russia is clearly stuck in Syria. And I don’t think they want to be stuck there. Their recent diplomatic engagement with European countries suggests they are looking for a country to help pay for the reconstruction of Syria,” Bolton said.

The US national security adviser stressed that Washington could consider cooperating with other countries to resolve issues related to Syria, on the condition that Iranian troops must leave Syria.

“We are looking to see if we and other countries can agree on a way to resolve the tensions in Syria. But the precondition is that Iranian forces return to Tehran,” Mr. Bolton affirmed.

Mr. Bolton is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 23.

In an interview with ABC News last week, Bolton said that Israel, Russia and the United States all want Iranian-backed forces to leave Syria. The Kremlin has not yet confirmed this information.

According to Mr. Bolton, at the Russia-US summit in Finland last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently told US President Donald Trump that Moscow could not force Iran out of Syria. However, Mr. Putin reportedly said that Tehran and Moscow's interests in Syria were not the same, and Mr. Bolton said the US would continue to talk with Russia to find a way to resolve the issue in the US's favor.

Washington and Israel have long accused Iran of having a military presence in Syria, but Tehran has repeatedly denied the allegations. Iran says it has only sent military advisers to support Damascus forces and has not deployed troops so far.