Putin goes on diplomatic blitz seeking to bolster Syrian ceasefire deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin worked Wednesday to place himself in the center of efforts to secure a Syrian ceasefire, speaking by phone to the leaders of Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran and drawing promises of cooperation, according to The Washington Post.

In a rapid-fire series of conversations, Putin bridged both sides of the conflict — Iran and Russia back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia sides with rebel factions — and portrayed himself as bolstering the chances of a cessation of hostilities agreed to by Washington and Moscow earlier this week.

Assad called the proposals in the deal “an important step toward political settlement,” the Kremlin said in a statement. He also “confirmed the Syrian government’s readiness to facilitate the cease-fire’s implementation.”

But significant doubts remained about the viability of the plan, scheduled to take effect at midnight Friday.

Leading Syrian opposition groups have not yet committed to the deal. And both Russia and the United States say they will continue independent efforts to fight Daesh and an al-Qaeda-linked faction, Jabhat al-Nusra.

For months, Moscow has said it was battling Daesh, but Russian airstrikes also have targeted rebel groups, including some backed by the United States. Both Russia and Assad have labeled a broad swath of opponents of the Syrian government as terrorists.

Putin has seized on the ceasefire deal as a diplomatic victory for Russia and one that places Russia on the same superpower bargaining level as the United States, long a Kremlin goal. Wednesday’s phone calls appeared to be a continuation of that effort.

The joint discussions between the United States and Russia on Syria are leading “to a higher level of mutual confidence,” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

“At the same time, I'll repeat, once again, that the main goal in this case is to stop bloodshed in Syria, and so lay the groundwork for approaching a political settlement.”

Putin also spoke to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, giving “a detailed explanation of the proposals” of the US-Russian plan. On Wednesday, at least according to the Kremlin, Russia and Saudi Arabia put aside their differences over Syria and were in accord on the cease-fire plan.

“The king of Saudi Arabia welcomed the agreement and expressed his readiness to work together with Russia to implement” the plan, the Kremlin said.

Source: MENA