The article said that the US should have begun negotiating with Moscow soon after the Kremlin announced the deployment of Russian air defense assets to Syria in the fall of 2015.
Counter to what would amount to common-sense anti-terror collaboration in the conflict, Washington still refuses to share details of its flight operations with Moscow, and Russia’s SA-17 advanced air defense systems in Syria don't distinguish between Turkish and American fighter aircraft, analysts noted.
According to Stratfor, if the US doesn't start sharing flight plans with Russia in the immediate future, it may provoke an escalation of the Syrian conflict. Russia's increased activity in the region along the Turkish border also hinders Turkey's plan to create a "security zone" which is likely to include a no-fly zone.
"Ultimately, Moscow has adopted a risky and assertive position in Syria with these recent actions. Its overall goal, however, is clearly to exact strategic concessions that would protect the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. This has already begun to work,” the analysts claim.
The think tank report also noted that negotiations between Russian and US authorities have become more frequent and that the positions of both countries on the issue are beginning to converge.
