Tillerson: US and Russia Discussing No-Fly Zones in Syria

Says Deal Could Improve Military-to-Military Communications

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today revealed that discussions with Russia are likely during the G20 summit, with a focus on issues related to the Syrian War, including humanitarian aid and the possibility of mutually imposing a no-fly zone in parts of the country.

Tillerson suggested that such a deal could greatly improve military-to-military communications between the US and Russia, which have been strained during the war as the two sides often find themselves with conflicting goals.

Tillerson’s comments on “enforcing” no-fly zones may suggest that there is no expectation that US and Russian planes would actually abide by the no-fly zones imposed, but that this would rather be limitations imposed on other nations involved in the fighting.

This is a potential complication for such a deal either way, as the US would doubtless expect a no-fly zone to primarily limit the Syrian government’s strikes against rebel forces, while Russia would likely not want to limit their allies so much as limit the chances of the US-coalition getting into air battles with the government’s air force.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.