Syria deal violates a Congressional act - Daily Caller

A newly brokered U.S. ceasefire with Russia in Syria violates 2014 U.S. legislation banning any military cooperation between the two countries, the Daily Caller news foundation said.

Provisions within the legislation allow the Secretary of Defense to waive prohibitions on certain instances of cooperation in the interest of national security, the foundation commented, adding that reflecting deep reservations within the broader U.S. national security community, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is reportedly highly skeptical of the Syria deal.

The US Congress authorized the ban on military cooperation after Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea. The U.S. and EU jointly imposed sanctions on Russia, both for its annexation of Crimea and its surreptitious invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s agreement stipulates that all parties in Syria must participate a “genuine reduction of violence,” for a period of one week.

Since the beginning of Russian intervention in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin sought U.S.-Russian intelligence sharing and coordinated strikes to legitimize his intervention, the Daily Caller said. 

Russia repeatedly designates any force opposing Assad as “terrorist,” and in one case repeatedly bombed U.S.-backed opposition despite requests from Washington to implement ceasefire.