Reports that Putin, Trump to discuss pro-Iranian forces’ withdrawal from Syria ‘not realistic’

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has denied media reports that the withdrawal of pro-Iranian forces from Syria will be one of the topics on the agenda for a meeting between the Russian and US presidents in Helsinki. “This is unlikely to be realistic,” Peskov said, given complexities involved when two countries discuss and make decisions regarding a third country. In this case, “sources let down” the media citing this information, the Kremlin spokesman said. He added, however, that Syrian problems will be the subject of an exchange of views during a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Peskov also said that the mere fact that the presidents are ready to meet is already “a positive fact against the backdrop of a sad plight of our bilateral relations,” TASS reports.