WASHINGTON — As US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin tentatively prepare to meet next month, one of the few tangible successes of US-Russian cooperation since Trump came into office is on the verge of collapse. Syrian army forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, have been advancing against rebels in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, in violation of a southwest Syria de-escalation zone agreement that was negotiated by the United States, Russia and Jordan last year, and heralded until recently by the Trump administration as a major success.
While the State Department has repeatedly expressed deep concern over the escalation and called on Russia and the Syrian regime to honor the cease-fire, the Syrian military operation has advanced over the last week, causing some 45,000 people to flee, according to UN estimates.
