Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday visited Moscow to discuss closer cooperation between the US and Russia in the fight against ISIS. Kerry is reportedly meeting with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss ways to improve coordination in the fight inside Syria. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Thursday the Defense Department’s only coordination with Russia, right now, is through the memorandum of understanding for flight safety. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has repeatedly said Russia is not only targeting ISIS, but it’s also bolstering the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, Cook said Carter also has “always maintained if the Russians are prepared to do the right thing, that would be a good thing.” Carter supports Kerry’s efforts in discussing Russia’s role in the fight and “we’re waiting to see what’s going on,” said Cook. But, at this point “it’s not clear” if there even will be any changes in the future, he added. (See also: Russia Calls on US to Coordinate Strikes in Syria.)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.