Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 12 april 2018
U.S., Russia trade

rhetoric, edge toward

showdown over Syria

By NATALIYA VASILYEVA allow Trump to say that the
and VLADIMIR ISACHEN- Assad regime has paid a
KOV heavy price ... and Russia in
MOSCOW (AP) — When its turn will be able to limit
the U.S. fired Tomahawk itself to ringing statements,"
missiles at a Syrian airfield said Fyodor Lukyanov, the
a year ago after a chemi- head of the Council for For-
cal weapons attack, the eign and Defense Policies,
Pentagon gave Moscow an association of top Rus-
advance warning to get sian political and security
its personnel out of harm's experts.
way. He added, however, that
Since then, U.S.-Russian re- the U.S. would be unlikely to
lations have soured, and warn Russia of the coming
the two nuclear powers strike this time.
have raised the ante, get- "The context of the relations
ting dangerously close to has changed radically in
a potential military clash in the past year: We're in a
Syria. state of a real and tangible
U.S. President Donald Cold War," Lukyanov said.
Trump has taunted Mos- Moscow's hopes of warmer
cow to "get ready" for "nice ties with Washington under Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov prepare to toast
and new and 'smart'" mis- Trump have been shat- at a ceremony of receiving credentials from foreign ambassadors in the Kremlin in Moscow, Rus-
siles coming to punish Syria tered by the ongoing U.S. sia, Wednesday, April 11, 2018.
for a purported chemical investigations of alleged Associated Press
attack on Saturday that Russian interference in the
killed at least 40 people. 2016 election and its po- prevent incidents between on the brink of a full-scale show on Russian state TV
The tweet followed Russia's tential ties with the Trump their militaries in Syria has conflict — a situation un- that his relative, a Soviet pi-
warning that it will strike at campaign. The Trump ad- worked well, but the rising seen even during the dark- lot, won a medal for com-
incoming U.S. missiles and ministration has ramped stakes make the situation est moments of the Cold bat duty in Vietnam. Kli-
their launch platforms. up sanctions against Russia more unstable than ever War. mov pointed to heavy U.S.
The defiant posture leaves and expelled dozens of dip- during the Syrian conflict. Retired Lt. Gen. Yevgeny losses from Soviet missiles
both the White House and lomats. Tensions between Under one possible sce- Buzhinsky, the former chief and jets in Vietnam, add-
the Kremlin with fewer op- the two countries have es- nario, Russia may try to use of the Russian Defense Min- ing that Russia stands ready
tions to respond without los- calated on a broad range its sophisticated electronic istry's international depart- to counter any possible U.S.
ing face. of issues — from the crisis in warfare systems deployed ment, warned that Russia strike.
A stern statement last Ukraine to the war in Syria in Syria to make U.S. mis- has thousands of military Unlike the Vietnam War,
month by Russia's top mili- to the poisoning of an ex- siles veer off course without advisers in Syria "practically where Soviet advisers help-
tary officer effectively drew Russian spy in Britain, which shooting them down. If that in every battalion," and a ing North Vietnam sup-
a red line on any U.S. strike. triggered the massive dip- softer option doesn't work, strike on any Syrian facil- posedly weren't directly
Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the lomatic war. the Russian military could ity could jeopardize their engaged in combat, the
chief of the Russian military's President Vladimir Pu- use an array of its state-of- lives. He warned that Russia potential clash in Syria
General Staff, said Russian tin's top adviser, Vladislav the-art air defense assets and the U.S. will quickly find would pit Russia directly
military officers are at Syr- Surkov said in an article in Syria to target the U.S. themselves in a major con- against the U.S.
ian facilities throughout the released earlier this week cruise missiles or drones. flict if they allow a collision Fears of war swept Russian
country and warned that that Russia has abandoned Vyacheslav Nikonov, a se- in Syria to happen. newspaper headlines and
"if a threat to our service- its centuries-long aspira- nior lawmaker in the Krem- "I have an impression that TV news, with commenta-
men emerges, the Russian tions of integrating into the lin-controlled lower house Americans' survival instincts tors discussing the darkest
armed forces will take re- West and is bracing for a of parliament, said in tele- have grown numb, if not possible outcomes, includ-
taliatory measures against new era of "geopolitical vised remarks that the Rus- vanished completely," Bu- ing a nuclear war.
both missiles and their car- loneliness." Surkov warned sian military was getting its zhinsky said. "They seem "What if the war starts to-
riers." that "it's going to be tough," electronic countermea- not to really believe that morrow?" the front page
Some say the U.S. could but added cryptically that sures and air defense assets Russia will give a tough mili- of Moskovsky Komsomolets
launch a limited strike like it "it'll be fun." ready for action. He added tary response and expect clamored on Wednesday.
did in April 2017, when it hit Opinions vary about what on a combative note that some sort of a local brawl, Russia's best-selling news-
Syria's Shayrat airfield with may happen in Syria. the situation offers a "good exchanging some minor paper Komsomolskaya
cruise missiles after warn- "The situation is pretty bad, chance to test them in blows. It's a miscalculation. Pravda wondered: "Is ma-
ing Russia. Such a scenario but it shouldn't be overdra- conditions of real combat." Any clash between Russian cho Trump going to start
would allow Washington matized," Alexei Malashen- An even more threaten- and U.S. militaries will ex- World War III?"
to claim it made good on ko, a leading Russian expert ing situation may evolve pand beyond a local con- Even former Soviet lead-
its promise to punish Syr- on Syria said in televised re- if the U.S. and its allies use flict and an escalation will er Mikhail Gorbachev
ian President Bashar Assad marks. "I don't believe that manned aircraft, and the be inevitable." weighed in. The 87-year-
without triggering a clash a clash between Russia Russian strike results in casu- Andrei Klimov, the head of old former president com-
with Russia. and the U.S. is possible." alties. an upper house committee pared the tensions to the
A pinpoint U.S. strike on Syr- Washington and Moscow Such a scenario could trig- that investigates foreign 1962 Cuban missile crisis
ian targets that does not both have said that a ho- ger a quick escalation, meddling in Russian affairs, and said he feels "great
harm Russian personnel "will tline established in 2015 to leaving Russia and the U.S. proudly said on the top talk concern."q