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How Russia is filling the gap left by Trump's withdrawal of US troops in Syria | The Independent

Donald Trump ’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria has started to change the balance of power in the war-torn country where regional and international powers have long been involved in a complex situation. Russian troops have now moved into northern Syria to fill the security vacuum left by the United States, and Syrian government forces are taking over areas previously controlled by US-backed Kurdish fighters.The majority of Washington’s foreign policy elite see the evolving situation as a big win for the Russian and Syrian governments, and a loss for the United States. However, experts argue that there has been no good reason for the United States to remain in Syria and the withdrawal should have eventually happened. Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad are seen as winners in northern Syria, but that was expected even before the Turkish incursion, says Robert Rabil, professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University.From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.“Our presence was too small and our policy has been incoherent in the Middle East in general, and Syria in particular,” he told The Independent . Professor Rabil suggested that everyone start looking at the Syrian regime as the Putin-Asad regime now, adding that “ Damascus is Putin’s satellite capital”. The United States cannot reverse what has happened but it is essential for the Americans to speak with both Putin and Erdogan to reach some agreement over Kurds , refugees and Salafi-jihadis, Rabil says. The White House has announced that President Trump was sending Vice President Mike Pence and national security adviser Robert O'Brien to Ankara as soon as possible to begin negotiations over a stop to the fighting. There have also been concerns that after the US withdrawal, Syrian forces advancing into Kurdish areas would clash with Turkish forces. That would be prevented if Putin and Erdogan reach an agreement for Turkey to control some border areas deemed essential to its security, the rest be taken over by Syrian government forces, and Russian forces in the middle of the two.