McCain: Kerry’s plan to cooperate with Russia is “delusional”

McCain: Kerry’s plan to cooperate with Russians "delusional"

Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said that Secretary of State John Kerry’s plan to cooperate with Russia in Syria is little more than “groveling,” and also called the plan “delusional.”

In a joint press statement, McCain and Graham pressed for President Barack Obama to “terminate” Secretary Kerry’s dangerous scheme to help Russia prop up murderous Assad regime in Syria.

McCain and Graham noted that the newly proposed agreement with Russia to share targeting information on al-Nusra Front follows the same sort of feckless policy that has kept Assad in power, even after Assad turned peaceful protests into the bloody war.

John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday in what is being billed as a last-chance effort by the Obama administration to achieve a breakthrough with Russia on the Syria conflict before President Obama leaves office.

It is worth reminding that the two Republican senators also criticized the deal struck by the US and Russia regarding the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile in 2013. McCain and Graham said then the deal would give the Assad regime, time “to delay and deceive” while the country’s war continued.

The US to lift Russia’s sanctions for cooperation in Syria

Since the United States needs cooperation with Russia on Syria Washington would have to make concessions to Moscow, including the removal of sanctions, in the long run, an article in The Wall Street Journal read.

Recently, US Secretary of State John Kerry has been a frequent visitor to Russia. Washington is increasingly demonstrating readiness to cooperate with Moscow on the Syrian settlement.

According to media reports, during the recent visit, Kerry offered Russia to establish a joint US-Russian group to share operative information and intelligence data to coordinate actions against terrorists.

Moscow is unlikely to accept the deal since coordinated actions on the Syrian settlement would require a partnership between Russia and the US. And partnership is impossible amid sanctions.

Russia has reasons for optimism because the US has become flexible on the issue. A year ago Washington ruled out any cooperation with Russia in the Middle East.

In addition, the determination of the European Union to keep the sanctions in place is now challenged, especially after the US has focused on Syria and outsourced the Ukrainian settlement to Germany. Thus, Russia hopes that its participation in the Syrian settlement would sway Washington and Berlin toward a more accommodating line, the article read.