Prospects of Russia-US confrontation?

As the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group is destroyed in Syria, the prospect of confrontation between Russia and the United States is increasingly apparent. The road to peace remains rocky.

98% of Syrian territory is now under the control of President Bashar Al Assad's government, according to information released by Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 23.

Earlier, the Russian military announced that the phase of active military operations in Syria had ended, with the result of maintaining "the sovereignty and integrity of this country".

The temporary alliance between Russia, Iran and Türkiye holds many cards that will decide the future of Syria - Photo: REUTERS

Russia wins

The war situation in Syria is giving Russia, the Assad government's sponsor, a huge advantage. Last week was a busy time for President Putin. After meeting with his counterpart Assad, he turned to talk on the phone with US President Donald Trump before meeting his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in the Russian city of Sochi.

All those meetings, hours of phone calls and discussions revolved around one theme: peace in Syria.

Nearly a month ago, right after the Astana Peace Talks on Syria ended in Kazakhstan, Mr. Putin's Russia announced that it would host the Syrian National Dialogue Congress.

On November 22, after a trilateral meeting between Russia, Türkiye and Iran in Sochi, the parties announced that the Syrian National Dialogue Congress will be held before the 8th round of negotiations on Syria sponsored by the United Nations (UN) on November 28.

One of the main reasons for the meeting between the three leaders was to resolve the issues of Iran and Turkey in Syria, focusing on the Kurds.

Türkiye has opposed the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria joining Russia's peace initiative.

Despite that, on November 23, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia, Türkiye and Iran had reached an agreement on the participants.

Accordingly, the parties participating in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress need to be maximized because this form of political dialogue can only take place with the participation of representatives of all factions in Syria.

Mr Peskov affirmed that Russia was well aware of Türkiye's concerns about the Kurds in Syria but that did not mean the peace conference would be postponed.

Working-level officials will work to finalize a list of participants for the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the coming days. The date and venue for the congress have not yet been decided.

The victories on the battlefield, with the support of Russia, are creating a solid position for Syrian President Assad.

America refuses to stand on the sidelines

While Mr. Putin met with the presidents of Iran and Türkiye in Sochi, in Riyadh - the capital of Saudi Arabia, a conference sponsored by this country and encouraged by the US took place, with the participation of UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura and nearly 140 representatives of the Syrian opposition.

They came to the conference to find common voice and common views for more than 50 opposition groups in Syria before the 8th round of negotiations in Geneva.

And despite their divisions, all opposition groups in Syria are steadfast in their view that President Assad must leave power as part of a political solution.

The Washington Post, a major American newspaper, published an article on November 22 with the ambiguous title "The public presence of the United States in Syria is about to end after IS is wiped out."

The current government in Damascus led by President Assad remains, nominally, Syria’s legitimate representative on the international stage. And Russia, not the United States, has been the one invited by Assad to fight IS since 2015.

Bloomberg News commented that with such a position, the US is observing everything in Syria from a "sideline" position. But the US will not easily accept an early withdrawal, the Washington Post warned.

US government sources revealed that Washington wants to maintain a military presence in Syria after the fall of IS to support the Kurdish opposition in the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The US plans to set up a new government in northern Syria, independent of Damascus, to pressure President Assad to make concessions at upcoming peace talks in Switzerland.

According to tuoitre.vn