US would co-operate with Russian military if it shifts its focus to Isis

If Russia shifts the focus of its strategy in Syria to Islamic State then the US would be willing to cooperate with Moscow on an intensified military campaign, the US president said on Wednesday.

That was the message that he conveyed to Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in the week, in Turkey, he said.

The remarks were made by Barack Obama on the sidelines of a summit of Asian nations in the Philippines, The Wall Street Journal reported.

French president Francois Hollande was due to visit Washington DC and Moscow on the following week.

Some observers have indicated that while Russia and the US do see eye-to-eye in strategic terms in Syria, there is a very large divide still at the ‘tactical’ level, regarding Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s future for example.

Among the voices urging caution was NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, who said: “Russia can play a constructive role in Syria, but what we have seen so far is most of their military actions have been targeted not in ISIL controlled areas.”

“The effort should be about fighting ISIL, not supporting the regime, which is what Russia has done so far.”

The fate al-Assad is also a divisive issue for the West’s allies and the Middle East and even between Iran and Russia.