VERONA /Italy/, October 21 /TASS/. The Russia-US agreement remains a mandatory condition for the Syrian settlement, but it may not be sufficient under the current complicated circumstances, Romano Prodi, Italy’s former prime minister and ex-European Commission chief, told TASS in an interview on Friday.

"I am fully convinced and I have said this many times that there can be no peace in the Middle East without an agreement between Russia and the United States. This accord is a mandatory condition (for the Syrian settlement). But it may be insufficient because of the very complex situation," Prodi, a prominent economist and political figure, emphasized.

He noted that regional forces - Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Kurds - also played a key role in the settlement process. "Therefore, the US-Russian agreement may not necessarily establish an immediate truce, but it is absolutely essential for creating conditions for peace," the Italian politician noted.