Carter: More safety talks with Russia coming

The United States and Russia are set Wednesday for a third round of talks to ensure pilots don’t collide in the skies above Syria.

“Even if we can’t agree on Syria policy, we should be able to at least agree on making sure our airmen are as safe as possible,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday.

Carter’s announcement comes the same day a Pentagon spokesman said U.S. and Russian aircraft came within 10 to 20 miles of each other Saturday while the two countries had their second round of talks on pilot safety.

{mosads}Saturday’s encounter, while was close enough for the pilots to see each other, didn’t require the United States to change course the way a previous close call did. But Army Col. Steve Warren referred to the situation as dangerous.

There has been progress in the talks with Russia on “professional conduct,” Carter said, but nothing has been finalized.

Carter reiterated that the United States has no plans to change its policy in Syria as a result of Russia’s involvement and urged Russia to change its strategy instead.

“We’re not able to associate more broadly with Russia’s approach in Syria, because it is wrongheaded and strategically shortsighted,” he said.

The Kremlin’s stated goal in Syria is to target the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, though U.S. officials have said most of Russia’s airstrikes have targeted rebels who opposed Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Carter made his remarks in Boston at a joint press conference with Secretary of State John Kerry and both of their Australian counterparts.

Kerry asserted that Russia, like other countries around the world, understands that a military solution is not viable in Syria. He also reiterated the U.S. stance that Russia’s presence complicates the situation. 

In his conversations with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kerry said, there has been an understanding that Russia’s actions will be considered “farce” if they are perceived as helping Assad.

“There’s only a political solution,” Kerry said. “A military component can help us get to a solution, but Syria is literally being destroyed in the process.”