Washington: We will continue our military presence in Syria, which is not Afghanistan or Vietnam, and we aim to make the war there a dead end for Russia

The US envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, said on Thursday that his country will continue its military presence in Syria, noting that its goal is to make the war there a “dead end” for Russia.

In a speech to him at the Hudston Institute in Washington, DC, Jeffrey explained that the United States is beginning to see the benefits of the powers it possesses in Syria.

Jeffrey rejected the assumptions that the United States had entered a “dead end” in Syria as well as in Afghanistan.

He noted that Washington’s policy in Syria is to pressure its enemies in the region, adding: “We believe that the policy we are pursuing is smart.”

Jeffrey: “Here, Syria is not Afghanistan or Vietnam, and my mission is to make this war a dead end for the Russians”.

In a different topic, Jeffrey announced that the United States believes that the issue of Turkey’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems remains a major concern in relations between Washington and Ankara.

Jeffrey said: “The S-400 is a huge case… this is a very difficult issue, because it relates to the largest investment in defending the United States and its allies since World War II – the F-35”.

Turkey’s actions undermine this fighter’s potential”.

Jeffrey added: “This is the biggest problem, otherwise, Turkey and we agree very well on most issues, including Libya, NATO, the Caucasus-Black Sea region, Syria and Iraq”.

Deliveries of the latest Russian S-400 air defense systems, which caused a crisis in relations between Turkey and the United States, began in mid-July 2019.

Washington demanded that the deal be rejected, and in exchange for US Patriot systems, threatened with delay or even cancellation the sale of the latest F-35 fighters to Turkey, as well as the imposition of sanctions according to CAATSA (America’s Anti-Adversaries Through Sanctions Act).

Ankara refused to compromise and negotiations continued on an additional batch of the S-400.