MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. The United States’ Plan B for Syria may imply the beginning of a ground operation in Syria or accusations against Russia of disrupting the agreements and the introduction of more sanctions, the science doyen of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Oriental Studies Institute, Vitaly Naumkin, told the conference titled The Middle East: from Violence to Security of the Valdai discussion club.
"Firstly, I know from my US partners that many have been calling for a ground operation," he said. "I believe that President Obama will not agree to this by any means. Yet there have been such hints."
Another version of Plan B, Naumkin believes, might be confined to the introduction of a no-fly zone.
"This is what our Turkish partners and some other political figures have been calling for in order to re-open a corridor delivering supplies to rebels in the area of Aleppo," he said. "We have evidence that ever more weapons and militants have been getting into Syria across the Turkish border in the last days before the moment truce is to take effect."
"Also, there exists one more possibility our US counterparts have been hinting at — more sanctions against Russia and Iran, if we are accused of disrupting something," Naumkin said.