Samantha Power: US support for Ukraine will not be exchanged for progress in Syrian peace talks
The US's Permanent Representative to the UN, Samantha Power, has assured that the attitude of her country against Russian aggression in Ukraine will not be exchanged for progress in resolving the issue in Syria. She stated this in an interview with Ukrainian TV channel "112", as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
"One thing I can definitely assure – we really want to work with Russia constructively on Syria... This was the course that we took in Syria, but this in no way implies, and I know that the people on the subject are very nervous, that we let them press on the gas and go to Ukraine. No trades. Progress in Syria will not be exchanged for Russian aggression in Ukraine. You can count on it," she said.
In addition, Power said it was too early to talk about "where Russia will go from Syria and whether it goes indeed... We have seen the statement of President Putin. We have seen some movement of Russian troops. They recognize the isolation... since Crimea’s annexation. The actions in Crimea, the actions in eastern Ukraine and, at the same time, the actions in Syria were not free for Russia," she said.
However, on the other hand, according to the American Diplomat, there is increased violence in Ukraine and the US "has to watch this". "And this is one reason why President Obama urged President Putin to return to the Minsk agreements. The last thing we would like is to reduce the violence in Syria and see the violence in Ukraine escalate. We need to make political decisions for the Syrians and Ukrainians in both countries and around the world," Power said.