McCain, Graham mock Kerry’s threat to end talks with Russia

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) upped their rebuke of Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday with a statement mocking Kerry’s threat to cut off talks with Russia on Syria.

“We can only imagine that having heard the news, Vladimir Putin has called off his bear hunt and is rushing back to the Kremlin to call off Russian airstrikes on hospitals, schools and humanitarian aid convoys around Aleppo,” McCain and Graham said Wednesday.

“After all, butchering the Syrian people to save the Assad regime is an important Russian goal. But not if it comes at the unthinkable price of dialogue with Secretary Kerry.”

Earlier Wednesday, the State Department issued a statement saying Kerry told his Russian counterpart that the United States would end talks with Russia if bombing in Aleppo doesn’t stop immediately.

McCain and Graham appeared unimpressed with the ultimatum.

“Finally, a real power move in American diplomacy,” they said. “Secretary of State John ‘Not Delusional’ Kerry has made the one threat the Russians feared most — the suspension of U.S.-Russia bilateral talks about Syria. No more lakeside tête-à-têtes at five-star hotels in Geneva. No more joint press conferences in Moscow.”

The situation in Aleppo has grown increasingly dire since Syrian President Bashar Assad, with Russia’s backing, launched a new offensive last week against rebel-held parts of the city, reportedly carrying out the fiercest bombing of the civil war to date. Hundreds of people have been reportedly killed since the offensive began.

The air assault was followed by regime ground forces entering Aleppo this week. On Wednesday, regime airstrikes reportedly hit a bread line and two hospitals, killing seven people.

The offensive all but ended a cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Russia, which began crumbling when the United States accidentally struck Syrian forces while targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and an aid convoy was destroyed in an airstrike suspected to be carried out by Russia or the regime.

After months of negotiation between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the cease-fire took effect Sept. 12. If it held for seven days and humanitarian aid made it to besieged areas of Syria, the two countries were to set up a Joint Implementation Center to coordinate militarily to target terrorists such as ISIS and the group formerly known as al Nusra.

McCain and Graham have been particularly critical of Kerry’s recent efforts. Last week, McCain called Kerry “intrepid but delusion” for negotiating with Russia.

McCain and Graham followed up with a statement Monday calling the diplomatic effort a “fig leaf” to cover the Obama administration’s failed Syria policy.

Kerry has fired back at the description of him as “delusional,” saying earlier this week that “talk was cheap” and challenging Congress to act.