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Syria and U.S.-Russia Relations

As Obama and Putin prepare to meet at the G-20 summit in Mexico, the Syrian crisis is at the top of the U.S.-Russia agenda.

published by
Fox News
 on June 14, 2012

Source: Fox News

In an interview on Fox News' “Happening Now,” Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky commented on the crisis in Syria and its implications for U.S.-Russia relations. As Obama and Putin prepare to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in Mexico, Obama “gets to talk directly to the boss,” Rojansky said. Although the United States and Russia have been “cooperating pretty effectively behind the scenes for the last several years,” both presidents now have “some damage control to do.”

Russian political leaders continue to oppose intervention in Syria because they “reject the Libya precedent” and want to “portray themselves as having an independent foreign policy,” Rojansky added. Russia has also concluded a number of arms sales and energy contracts with the Assad regime. So, in the end, “if he [Assad] goes, the Russians don’t get paid,” Rojansky concluded.  

This interview originally appeared on Fox News' Happening Now.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.