RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “As the administration prepares for another summit meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, there is division within the U.S. ranks over Moscow’s intentions and whether the two sides will be able to cooperate on a range of issues including the conflict in Syria. Mr. Trump has expressed hopes of working more closely with Russia in Syria, where Moscow has played a central role in cementing President Bashar al-Assad’s power. The administration raised the issue with Mr. Putin’s government during and after their meeting in Helsinki last week. But the U.S. general overseeing the fight against Islamic State expressed doubt about deepening cooperation with the Russian military. ‘I’ve watched some of the things that Russia has done, it does give me some pause,’ Gen. Joseph Votel said in an interview en route to Afghanistan. Gen. Votel heads the U.S. Central Command, which also oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, including Syria, where Russia has been carrying out air strikes to help Mr. Assad’s forces reclaim territory from Syrian rebels.”
–Dion Nissenbaum and Michael R. Gordon, “Trump, Aides Diverge Further on Russia,” The Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2018 7:57 pm