The US has “a very active deconfliction line” with Russia in order to not “get drawn into a fight” in Syria, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said. Mattis touched upon the ongoing operation in Syria at a press briefing on Tuesday. [...]

Moscow has warned the US against taking unilateral action in Syria, as there is no threat from the Syrian military, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. The statement comes after the US accused Syria of preparing for a chemical attack, without giving any evidence.   [...]

Qatar has signed a deal to buy $12 billion-worth of McDonnell Douglas F-15QA Eagle air superiority fighters from the United States. Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Birol Baskan, an assistant professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, said that the deal clears Doha's reputation as a terror state. [...]

The White House's statement regarding Damascus' alleged "preparations" for the use of chemical weapons in Syria has prompted concerns that it could be followed by a series of US strikes on Syrian government forces. Sputnik contributor Andrei Kots explained why these fears are not unfounded. [...]

Russia has slammed Washington’s threats against the Syrian government following a recent White House statement alleging that President Bashar Assad’s forces are preparing to use chemical weapons. “I am not aware of any information or threat of using chemical weapons,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday. [...]

How would Western media have responded if it was reported that it was 'highly likely’ that US air strikes had killed the head of ISIS?  We’d have been told, of course, how it proved that the US was the ’greatest nation on earth.' [...]

Berlin cannot rely on an "erratic" Donald Trump, and it remains unknown whether it can rely on the US as a whole, German chancellor candidate Martin Schulz has stated. Schulz, a Social Democrat (SPD) and the main challenger to Angela Merkel in the upcoming September election, made the comments at a party convention on Sunday. [...]

Most media outlets and politicians often ignore the deadly consequences of US regime change policy, including the rise of Islamic State, according to Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii). “I think that there has been a concerted effort both on the part of some in the media, as well as many in politics, and many in our foreign policy establishment seem to have been advocating for a continua [...]

Another U.S. military strike inside Syria — this time, shooting down a Syrian bomber — has escalated tensions with Russia, even opening the possibility that Russian anti-aircraft missiles will target U.S. warplanes, reports Gilbert Doctorow. The Pentagon’s announcement that the U.S. military had shot down a Syrian warplane inside Syrian territory merited only inside-the-paper treatment at [...]

America’s neocons are back pounding the war drums, urging President Trump to escalate U.S. military attacks inside Syria even if that means hitting Russian targets and risking a new world war, reports Robert Parry. The U.S. mainstream media’s near universal demonization of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin – along with similar hatred directed toward Ira [...]

Donald Trump's presidency has descended into farce. The undignified manner in which both he and his adversaries in Washington conduct themselves sits in sharp contrast to the dignity of those countries and governments demonized as enemies of everything the Rome of our time holds dear - namely untrammeled power, greed, and domination. [...]

US and British troops this week joined thousands of NATO forces to conduct war games in Poland rehearsing the 'possible' blockade of Baltic states by Russia. Talk about mental blockade. [...]

The US has no right to fly into Syrian airspace where it shouldn’t be and set boundaries but should mind its own business. Otherwise, it is an act of aggression, says former US Congressman Ron Paul. [...]

Austrian and Germany have lashed out at Washington over new sanctions against Russia that target the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe. [...]

I’m not the only person to note that if Jesus ever actually showed up in America it would be our “Christians” who would shout him down — if, that is, he talked about peace and the horror of an imperial nation addicted to war. “Blessed are the peacemakers”? No thanks! If you ever want to know what it looks like when a mob in love with far right nationalism and on fire with a lust for [...]

Under Barack Obama, America succeeded in driving a wedge between Russia and the European Union. After a few months of Donald Trump, it appears Russia is slowly moving back into the French and German good books. [...]

The former US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper thinks Russians have some sort of biological predilection to be an untrustworthy bunch. I wish I was making that up, but sadly, I’m not.   [...]

Trump’s overall strategy to try and break up the EU reflects his preferred way of doing business: to deal with individual states so they can be more easily manipulated, says political writer and journalist Dan Glazebrook. [...]

The EU is considering taking economic measures in response to President Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate agreement. These could include halting trade talks, forging closer ties with Russia, and imposing heavy carbon taxes on US exports. [...]