Pentagon Says Still No Agreement With Russia on Cooperation on Syria

There is still no substantial agreement between Russia and the United States on effective cooperation on Syria, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook told RIA Novosti.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the Syrian issue with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva. Lavrov said after the talks that there is "better mutual understanding of this issue" between the two countries.

"Some of the differences in those discussions toward a durable solutions have been narrowed, but as Secretary Kerry said, issues still remain that need to be addressed. There is no agreement at this time," Cook said on Friday.

Earlier this week, Samir Aita, a member of the Syrian Democratic Forum opposition party, told Sputnik that the United States should be pursuing practical cooperation with the Syrian regular army, just like Russia has been pursuing practical cooperation with the armed opposition, in order for a lasting ceasefire to be achieved in Syria and for terrorists to be defeated.

Lavrov said after talks with Kerry on Friday that the two had agreed that Russia would continue to work with the Syrian government and opposition groups that cooperate with it, while the United States would continue working with the groups they can influence in Syria and with regional partners.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria. Terrorist groups such as Daesh, as well as Jabhat Fatah al Sham (also known as al-Nusra Front) are not part of the deal. Both groups are banned in Russia and a range of other countries.