Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to launch unilateral airstrikes against Islamic State from inside Syria if the US rejects his proposal to join forces.
SMH reports that Mr Putin’s preferred course of action, though, is for the US and its allies to agree to coordinate their campaign against IS with Russia, Iran and the Syrian army, which the Obama administration has so far resisted, according to a person close to the Kremlin and an adviser to the Defence Ministry in Moscow.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow for talks with Mr Putin on Monday, followed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.
Mr Putin’s military buildup in Syria in recent weeks has alarmed US officials, coming after his annexation of Crimea and support for the insurgency in Ukraine, which prompted US and European Union sanctions that have helped push Russia’s economy into recession.
