Israel has a complex, and somewhat positive, relationship with Russia. Since the end of the Cold War, Israel has become home to hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants, and as such the Jewish state maintains close economic and cultural ties with Russia.
“In recent years, Israel and Russia have significantly improved ties on a number of fronts,” said Borshchevskaya. “Nonetheless, this has limits, as in practice Putin’s regional policy is primarily driven by zero-sum anti-Americanism and anti-Westernism to position Russia as a counterweight to the West in the region.”
Israel has been at odds with Russia over the latter’s strong support for the Iran nuclear deal and the impending Russian sale of the advanced S-300 missile defense system to Iran.
On a parallel track with Israeli concerns are growing American-Russian disagreements over Syria. Kerry announced Sept. 18 that the U.S. is hoping to engage in direct military-to-military talks with Russia.
“The president believes that a military-to-military conversation is an important next step,” Kerry said, “and I think, hopefully, it will take place very shortly.”
The U.S. has long maintained that Assad must step down if there is going to be a lasting solution to the Syrian civil war. Kerry, however, hinted that the U.S. may allow Assad to stay in power for the short term until a political settlement is reached.
“Our focus remains on destroying ISIL and also on a political settlement with respect to Syria, which we believe cannot be achieved with the long-term presence of Assad,” Kerry told reporters last week while in London to meet with his British counterpart, Philip Hammond.
“But we’re looking for ways in which to try to find a common ground,” he added. “Clearly, if you’re going to have a political settlement, which we’ve always argued is the best and only way to resolve Syria, you need to have conversations with people, and you need to find a common ground.”
Moving forward, it seems clear Putin will continue to prop up the Assad regime at all costs, even though it has become likely that Assad cannot win the Syrian civil war.
“Putin wants to restore Russia as a great power in the Middle East that opposes the West,” said Borshchevskaya. “For Western nations, diplomacy is about win-win scenarios, but for Putin, it’s ‘I win, you lose.’ ”
(JNS)
