The Cable
The Cable goes inside the foreign policy machine, from Foggy Bottom to Turtle Bay, the White House to Embassy Row.

John Kerry Consults with Russians on Syria Less Than 48 Hours After Suspending Ties

Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation in Syria with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after the State Department announced a suspension in “bilateral channels with Russia” related to reducing the violence in Syria.

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 09:  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov (L) talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting at the U.S. State Department on August 9, 2013 in Washington, DC. According to reports the meeting could help determine the fate of a planned summit meeting in September between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 09: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov (L) talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting at the U.S. State Department on August 9, 2013 in Washington, DC. According to reports the meeting could help determine the fate of a planned summit meeting in September between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 09: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov (L) talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting at the U.S. State Department on August 9, 2013 in Washington, DC. According to reports the meeting could help determine the fate of a planned summit meeting in September between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation in Syria with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after the State Department announced a suspension in “bilateral channels with Russia” related to reducing the violence in Syria.

Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation in Syria with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after the State Department announced a suspension in “bilateral channels with Russia” related to reducing the violence in Syria.

The Wednesday phone call between the two diplomats, first disclosed by the Russian Foreign Ministry, raised immediate questions about whether the United States was already backtracking on its threat to cut off ties with Moscow.

In acknowledging the phone call, State Department spokesman Mark Toner defended the high-level contact. “They did talk about the situation on the ground in Syria,” he said, “my argument back to you would be it would be irresponsible for Secretary Kerry not to raise what’s happening in Syria and make our concerns clear about what’s happening there.”

Toner faced stiff push back from reporters seeking to understand the practical extent of the suspension of ties. “You tell the Russians one thing, and then you turn around and don’t follow through on it,” Associated Press reporter Matt Lee said.

Toner said the suspension only applied to a diplomatic channel setup to sustain a cessation of hostilities in the country. Such a suspension apparently did not preclude talks between Kerry and Lavrov on Syria who have remained in near constant contact throughout the deadly civil war.

“While that particular bilateral channel has been suspended we’re not going to just walk away from what’s happening in Syria,” Toner said.

The State Department announced the halting of talks with Russia on Monday after a relentless bombing campaign by Russian and Syrian jets on the besieged city of Aleppo.

This is not a decision that was taken lightly,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said at the time.

The U.S. also cancelled plans to share military intelligence to target the Islamic State and the al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front.

Republicans, such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona, continue to call for military action against the Syrian government but U.S. officials have warned that regime change in Damascus could empower Sunni extremist groups and lead to even more chaos in the country.

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.