Putin attacks America's 'weak' position in Syria

Russian plane comes within 2 miles of US warplane

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, where he told reporters America refused to communicate with Russia and was weak.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Putin claimed the United States policies in Syria were weak and lacked objectives before announcing a slurry of new Russian bombing raids in support of Bashar al-Assad.

In Astana, Kazakhstan, Putin told reporters, "I don't really understand how the U.S. can criticize Russia's actions in Syria if they refuse to have direct dialogue. The basic weakness of the American position is that they don't have an agenda, though we're keeping the door open" for discussions with Washington.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters, "We've said that we're not interested in doing that as long as Russia is not willing to make a constructive contribution to our counter-ISIL effort. Russia has their own agenda and it's an agenda right now that they're pursuing on their own."

Russia's Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported Russian activity in the last 24 hours, saying Russia flew thirty-three sorties and made 32 airstrikes against Islamic State-run areas in the Idlib, Hama, Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor provinces.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reported that since September 30, the United States rejected Putin's offer to send a delegation to Washington to explain the campaign against Islamic State and other militants. On Tuesday, Putin accused certain states of having "oatmeal on their heads" because they were unable to understand Russia's airstrike goal of defeating terrorism.

In Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter claimed Russia was encasing itself in a "shroud of isolation," claiming its support of Assad would "inflame and prolong the Syrian civil war," and the United States has witnessed "increasingly unprofessional behavior from Russian forces" in Syria.

Despite Putin's claim that America refuses to communicate, Interfax reported Russian and American officials began talks on Wednesday, which Konashenkov said brought them closer to an agreement for the safety of Syrian military flights. A hotline has been established for Russia's Syrian airbase and the Israeli air force to communicate and both forces have introduced a joint training program to "prevent dangerous incidents in the sky."

U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Russian airstrikes and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia were aiding government offenses against rebels near Homs and Aleppo. Rami Abdurrahman, U.K.-based SOHR leader, admitted his organization tracks the war through a network of activists and reported, "It looks like they [Syria, Russia and Israel] are seeking to regain control of the road linking Damascus to Homs and then Aleppo.

On October 10, during a mission in Aleppo Province, a Russian Su-30 fighter jet came within 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) of a U.S. warplane in what could easily be seen as a sign of aggression. The Defense Ministry in Moscow claimed the intention was to identify the plane, "not scare anyone."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksey Meshkov attended a conference in Moscow, where he said Russa and Turkey were establishing "lines of communication between [their] militaries in connection with events taking place in Syria." 

Fox Now reported a senior U.S. defense official saying talks with Russian officials have upped their focus on airspace over Syria but did not release further information.

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