MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. A senior foreign affairs lawmaker told French deputies on Thursday that the United States had been forced into dialogue with Russia over the Syria crisis and the fight against Islamic State, the terror group outlawed in Russia.
"The United States is forced to resume dialogue with Russia," Alexey Pushkov, head of the State Duma lower house committee for foreign affairs, told a Russian-French inter-parliamentary seminar on Thursday.
"It is a kind of forced decision as they never opted for it. But they might stay in the game only by holding dialogue with Russia," he said. "The only way out for the US is to launch a dialogue with Russia."
Americans realized that their "wait-it-out strategy" and the strategy of "symbolic strikes" on Islamic State [in Syria] not backed up by political initiatives "have led to nothing", Pushkov told the group.
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"US goals in that country are vague as it does not battle IS but capitalizes on IS," the lawmaker said. "The situation has peaked by joint efforts of four countries [Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria]."
"Now, about the political process in that country: Who should this issue be discussed with?" Pushkov asked rhetorically.
"The Syrian opposition consists of 50 groups and they cannot reach agreement with one another," he said. "The US claims it will talk to al-Assad but who will speak for the Syrian opposition? I think the US stance may change."