Top Pentagon officials said Thursday they’ve received “no direction” about military cooperation with the Russians in Syria, throwing cold water on reports that President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had reached a wide-ranging agreement during their Helsinki summit earlier this week.
The supposed deal — reported by Russian media Tuesday following the Trump-Putin meeting — would focus on protecting the security of Israel, which remains under threat from Iranian proxy groups based in western Syria and loyal to Bashar Assad’s government. Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin hinted during their press conference Monday that the two nations were ready to work together militarily to ensure Israel’s security and tamp down the risk of all-out conflict between Israel and Iran.
If such a deal were reached in principle, leading U.S. military officials said they’ve yet to receive any new instructions and have not been told about any agreement.
“For us right now it’s kind of steady as she goes. We have received no further direction,” Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters Thursday. “I haven’t been asked to do anything. I’m not privy to any kind of grand bargain discussion or anything like that.”
Following Monday’s summit, Russian media quickly latched on to the notion that the U.S. and Russia were prepared to work together militarily in Syria.
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04.28.2025