U.S. and Russia Reach Syrian Cease Fire Agreement

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Summary: President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin met in Germany today. 

Officials announced on Friday that the United States and Russia have reached a cease-fire over the war in Syria. American President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin met at the G20 summit in Germany and discussed the deal.

“I had a very lengthy conversation with the President of the United States. There were a lot of issues such as Ukraine, Syria, other problems, some bilateral issues,” Putin said after the meeting.

  

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According to The Associated Press, the cease-fire will go into effect on Sunday at noon Damascus time.  This news comes as the U.S.-backed group, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are pushing into Raqqa, the capital of ISIS.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told CNN that the two leaders discussed in length the violence in Southwest Syria and reached a “defined agreement” regarding the ceasefire.

“This is our first indication of the US and Russia being able to work together in Syria,” Tillerson said.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was also at the meeting, and he said that the U.S., Russia, and Jordan will establish a de-escalation zone in the Syrian regions of Daraa, Quneitra, and Suwayda.

Friday’s deal does not include de-escalation zones that were created earlier this year in a deal between Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Lavrov added that U.S. and Russia will provide humanitarian aid and that Russian military police will initially provide security around the newly formed de-escalation zone.

Tillerson said that it could take weeks or months to liberate Raqqa from ISIS, and even after that happens, that will not be the end of ISIS in Syria. He said that the U.S. and Russia have the same goal of wanting the country to be stable once the terrorist regime is annihilated.

“I think there is a level of commitment on the part of the Russian government,” Tillerson said. “They see a transition from the defeat of ISIS to … what do we do with the state of Syria after the fall of ISIS.”

ISIS stands for the Islamic State in Syria, and it is a group of Muslim radicals that has been responsible for several global terrorist acts.

Prior to the G20 Summit, Russia and the United States have backed opposing sides in Syria, according to BBC News. Russia supported the Syrian regime while the United States has called for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In Syria, more than 300,000 citizens have been murdered in the civil war that began in 2011 with government protests. Over 5.5. million Syrians have tried to leave the country, and 6.3 million are internally displaced.

Recently, Trump’s travel ban was allowed by the Supreme Court to take effect, and the ban restricts Syrian refugees from entering the country for 120 days.

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What do you think of Friday’s announcement? Let us know in the comments below.