WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Russian Aerospace Forces' operation against terrorists in Syria has strengthened the position of the country's president, Bashar Assad, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said.
"It hasn’t changed the game for us," Dunford said, adding that the Syrian government was "in a better place" due to Russians, as quoted by The New York Times.
According to Dunford, due to the stronger position of the Syrian government, a political solution to the civil war in the country might be more difficult to reach.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011. The country’s government is fighting a number of opposition forces, as well as radical Islamist militant organizations.
The US-led international coalition has been carrying out a separate campaign against Daesh in Syria since 2014 without the approval from either the UN Security Council or the Syrian government.