Russia OKs Use of Military Force in Syria

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers voted unanimously Wednesday to let President Vladimir Putin send Russian troops to Syria. The Kremlin sought to play down the decision, saying it will only use its air force there, not ground troops.

Putin had to request parliamentary approval for any use of Russian troops abroad, according to the constitution.
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Sergei Ivanov, chief of Putin’s administration, said in televised remarks after the discussion that the parliament voted unanimously to give the green light to Putin’s plea. The proposal does not need to go to another legislative body. He added thatRussia will only use its air force “in order to support the government Syrian forces in their fight against the Islamic State” group.
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Worried by the threat of Russian and U.S. jets clashing inadvertently over Syrian skies, Washington agreed to talk to Moscow on how to “deconflict” their military actions. Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter had a 50-minute phone call with his Russian counterpart, the first such military-to-military discussion between the two countries in more than a year.

Israel has taken similar precautions, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Moscow last week to agree with Putin on a coordination mechanism to avoid any possible confrontation between Israeli and Russian forces in Syria.
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Putin’s troop request comes after his bilateral meeting Monday with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, where the two discussed Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria.

Ivanov said the motion comes after Moscow received a request from Assad asking for help. He said the biggest difference between other countries conducting air strikes in Syria — such as the United States — is that “they do not comply with the international law, but we do.”

“Putin has suggested to Obama that Russian air force take a certain role in the coalition,” Ekho Moskvy editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov, who covered Putin’s visit to New York, said Wednesday. “This didn’t work out, [emphasis added] Putin told us so right after his meeting with Obama. But (they) gave the green light to the bilateral relations, cooperation between the United States and Russia in fight against Islamic State.”

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Ariadna Note:
Illustration from RT via Scott Creighton