The Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday said Russia must be ejected from Syria, warning that if Moscow maintains a presence in the country it will allow for Iran’s eventual reentry.
Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), speaking during a panel at the Hudson Institute, called for remaining Russian forces in Syria to be kicked out of the country, going further than conditions laid out by the Trump administration for engagement with the government of Ahmed al Sharaa, who deposed long-time dictator Bashar al Assad in December.
“The region cannot tolerate Moscow having access to the Mediterranean, to threaten the United States, NATO or other allies, Russia and Iran were complicit in Assad’s atrocities,” Risch said in a speech at the conservative think tank.
“If we allow Russia to remain in Syria, it’s only a matter of time until it becomes a back door for Iran to return again.”
President Trump announced last month that he was lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria. The move came following the administration presenting the new Syrian authorities with a list of conditions to trigger sanctions relief, such as eliminating Assad’s chemical weapons stockpile, cooperating with the U.S. on counterterrorism, working to identify, find and return Americans disappeared in the country, among other priorities.
But not included in that list was kicking Russia out of the country. While Russia has scaled down its presence in Syria since Assad’s ousting, the Kremlin is working to maintain its military bases in the country.
Risch said the U.S. needs to proceed with caution with the new the al-Sharaa government in Syria. Syria’s new president is a U.S.-designated terrorist who had ties with Al Qaeda and ISIS, although he has since disavowed those terrorist groups.
“I see tremendous opportunity for Syria. Syria was historically and can again be a great and respected country. However, we need to ensure that with increased cooperation comes greater security for the American people,” Risch said.