Russia is struggling to protect its ally Syrian President Bashar Assad. She denies even quite convincing evidence that it was the Syrian regime that launched a chemical attack in the city of Idlib on April 4, poisoning civilians with sarin.
However, the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, was probably right when he said that Vladimir Putin would have to seek a political solution for Syria as soon as possible. Otherwise, Russia runs the risk that "it will be disgraced by the ward, who seems to have gotten out of hand".
About this on the pages of Newsweek write a political analyst of the corporation RAND Colin Clark and former US ambassador to Kazakhstan and Georgia, William Courtney.
When the "Islamic state" finally suffers defeat in the city of Rakka, Russia is unlikely to want to remain the only big state that takes direct part in the conflict. Moscow does not have enough strength, legitimacy and support to manage the international peace process independently. She turned the Sunnis against herself by supporting the Shiite forces of Assad, Iran and Hezbollah,. In addition, it can not spend huge funds for the restoration of the war-ravaged Syria.
"Thus, the West has certain trump cards. He can give Moscow an idea that the price of joint management of the restored Geneva process is to force Assad to give up absolutely all chemical weapons, as well as to observe the truce, which the parties will agree in the course of negotiations. This will be a prelude to a political settlement, "experts write..
They recall that during Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured that his country was doing everything possible to put pressure on the Syrian authorities.
According to the authors, this may indicate a sense of vulnerability in Russia over the pressure of the West, which seeks the complete elimination of the chemical weapons of Assad. After the meeting with Tillerson, Lavrov assured that Russia "intends to complete the work" over this.
"Moscow has achieved tactical success in Syria, but without Western and regional assistance in achieving a political settlement, its long-term strategic interests can face serious gums. And the civil war in Syria will continue, "reads the article.