From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Despite pullout, Russia hopes to keep hotline with US in Syria
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA top Russian official says that Moscow expects that a hotline between Russia and the US military will be kept in place despite the impending US withdrawal from Syria.
US President Donald Trump announced last week that the US will withdraw all of its 2,000 forces in Syria, a move that will leave control of the oil-rich eastern third of Syria up for grabs. Russia launched its military operation in Syria in 2015 to back its longtime ally President Bashar Assad.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryakov says in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency Tuesday that it would be a “big mistake” to dismantle the hotline that Russia and the US use to prevent potential clashes and says he sees no indications that the Americans would do that.
— AP
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