The US has opened a two-front campaign in Syria. At NATO headquarters in Brussels, Carter tried to drum up support for accelerating the fight against the militants. On 11 February, it began talks with a number of nations, including Russia, with the aim of securing a ceasefire. This in turn, is regarded as critical to resuscitating stalled UN-brokered peace talks between the Syrian Government and opposition groups. There are, however, deep differences between Russia and the US on the timing and conditions of a truce, so a swift breakthrough is not expected. Alongside this, the US stepped up its call for action against ISIS, with Defence Secretary Ash Carter appearing in Brussels (Belgium) to rally support for a refined US plan to defeat the group. In Syria, meanwhile, there are signs that President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing to step down after nearly four years in power. ’s participants had either pledged further military commitments or said that they would discuss his request.
The US has opened a two-front campaign in Syria. On 11 February, it began talks with a number of nations, including Russia, with the aim of securing a ceasefire. This in turn, is regarded as critical to resuscitating stalled UN-brokered peace talks between the Syrian Government and opposition groups. There are, however, deep differences between Russia and the US on the timing and conditions of a truce, so a swift breakthrough is not expected. Alongside this, the US stepped up its call for action against ISIS, with Defence Secretary Ash Carter appearing in Brussels (Belgium) to rally support for a refined US plan to defeat the group. In Syria, meanwhile, there are signs that President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing to step down after nearly four years in power. ’s participants had either pledged further military commitments or said that they would discuss his request.