Putin, Trump hell-bent on defeating ISIS in Syria

They have issued a joint press statement expressing their satisfaction on the progress their two countries have achieved in the de-confliction efforts between US and Russian military professionals.

In the statement, they said that this cooperation have dramatically accelerated ISIS’s losses on the battlefield in recent months.

Both the Presidents have agreed to maintain open military channels of communication between their militaries that will help in ensuring the safety of both the US and Russian forces and continue in US-Russian combined efforts to fight ISIS.

They confirmed these efforts will continue until ISIS is finally defeated.

The Presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria and confirmed that the ultimate political solution to the conflict must be forged through the Geneva process pursuant to the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2254.

They also took note of President Assad’s recent commitment to the Geneva process and constitutional reform and elections as called for under UNSCR 2254.

The two Presidents affirmed that these steps must include the full implementation of UNSCR 2254, including constitutional reform and free and fair elections in Syria, under UN supervision, and is held to the highest international standards of transparency.

Such process must involve all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate. The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character, as defined in UNSCR 2254, and urged all Syrian parties to participate actively in the Geneva political process and to support efforts to ensure its success.

Both President Trump and President Putin confirmed the importance of de-escalation as an interim step to reduce violence in Syria. They also want to enforce a ceasefire agreement and to facilitate an unhindered humanitarian access to those involved.

The reviewed progress on the ceasefire in southwest Syria that was finalized the last time the two Presidents met in Hamburg, Germany on July 7, 2017 must be upheld.

The two presidents also welcomed the Memorandum of Principles concluded in Amman, Jordan, on November 8, 2017, between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America.

The said memorandum reinforces the success of the ceasefire initiative, to include the reduction, and ultimate elimination of foreign forces and foreign fighters from the area.

The countries wants to ensure a more sustainable peace to be achieved.