US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Paris has generated new hope that Washington and Moscow may set aside their differences over Ukraine to cooperate in combating the so-called Islamic State group (IS). Notwithstanding relatively positive statements from Kerry and Lavrov after their conversation, such a partnership continues to look unlikely.
On the plus side, Kerry said that despite the US-Russian dispute over Ukraine, he and Lavrov “came together today in order to try to focus on those issues where we can find the capacity to be able to make a difference to other countries, to the world in general and certainly to the relationship between Russia and the United States.” He added, “We particularly talked about [IS]. We both recognize the need to destroy and ultimately defeat [IS], to degrade their efforts and ultimately to defeat them, and also to counter the violent and oppressive approach of [IS].” This is a stark departure from Kerry’s earlier rhetoric, such as his July 29 declaration that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would lead to “the most severe possible kinds of isolation and sanctions possible.”
Setting aside the question of whether this and similar warnings by President Barack Obama constitute additional unimplemented “red lines” and the Obama administration’s reference to Russia’s military presence in Ukraine as an “incursion” rather than an “invasion,” Kerry’s remarks represented a clear retreat from the administration’s earlier tone and a new visible effort to pursue — and draw attention to — US-Russia cooperation in the greater Middle East region and elsewhere. Lavrov reciprocated, albeit somewhat tentatively, describing the conversation as “a useful meeting.”
Nevertheless, the two men held separate news conferences — a sign that one or both are not quite ready to appear together. Moreover, while Kerry reported that he suggested greater intelligence cooperation “with respect to [IS] and other counterterrorism challenges of the region” and while Lavrov agreed, he said merely that “we can interact more effectively” in “the fight against terrorism” and other areas. Similarly, Kerry mentioned an agreement “to explore whether Russia could do more to support Iraqi security forces,” including supplying arms, training and advisers, while Lavrov said nothing on this topic in his media appearance.
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