Trump, Putin Issue Joint Statement from Da Nang

At the 2017 APEC Summit, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met briefly before a group photo op of the leaders in attendance. The two leaders also issued a joint statement indicating a spirit of cooperation between the two leaders and their respective governments in relation to the Syrian crisis. While the appearance of the two leaders getting along will likely play well in the Russian and international press, President Trump risks providing more fodder for establishment media and politicians in the United States back in Washington still focused on the hunt for alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.

Cooperation on Syria and ISIS

In the joint statement, President Trump and President Putin expressed their satisfaction with successful U.S.-Russia enhanced de-confliction efforts between U.S. and Russian military professionals, asserting that this cooperation between the two countries has dramatically accelerated ISIS’s losses on the battlefield in recent months.

The Presidents agreed to maintain open military channels of communication between military professionals to help ensure the safety of both U.S. and Russian forces and de-confliction of partnered forces engaged in the fight against ISIS. They confirmed these efforts will be continued until the final defeat of ISIS is achieved.

No Military Solution in Syria

Most importantly, in the joint statement the Presidents agreed that “there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria”. They confirmed that the ultimate political solution to the conflict must be forged through the Geneva process pursuant to UNSCR 2254. They also took note of President Asad’s recent commitment to the Geneva process and constitutional reform and elections as called for under UNSCR 2254. They also 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.

there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria

Finally President Trump and President Putin confirmed the importance of de-escalation areas as an interim step to reduce violence in Syria, enforce ceasefire agreements, facilitate unhindered humanitarian access, and set the conditions for the ultimate political solution to the conflict. They 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.

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. This Memorandum reinforces the success of the ceasefire initiative, to include the reduction, and ultimate elimination, of foreign forces and foreign fighters from the area to ensure a more sustainable peace.

In addition, President Trump noted that he had a good meeting with President Putin. He further noted that the successful implementation of the agreements announced today will save thousands of lives‎.

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Image credit: Office of the President of the Russian Federation, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International