Putin Pushes Syria Peacekeeper Plan With Trump to Save Truce

Russia leader says ‘impossible’ to solve conflict without U.S.
Putin to meet Erdogan in Sochi a day after call with Trump

Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint press conference with Angela Merkel in Sochi, Russia, on May 2, 2017.
Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

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By Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov

May 2, 2017 at 3:19 PM UTC

Updated on

May 2, 2017 at 3:52 PM UTC

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President Vladimir Putin is pushing a plan with U.S. President Donald Trump to create security zones and deploy peacekeepers in Syria -- possibly including Russian forces -- to enforce a faltering cease-fire as he tries to find a resolution to the more than six-year conflict.

The two leaders are scheduled to speak by phone later Tuesday, part of a diplomatic push by Putin on the Syria crisis this week. He’s due to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, a day after holding talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The creation of the zones inside Syria is expected to come up during the call with Trump, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters.