LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday the United States was prepared to engage in military-to-military talks with Russia concerning Syria.
"The president believes that a military-to-military conversation is an important next step," Kerry said, "and I think, hopefully, it will take place very shortly."
Shortly after Kerry spoke, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Ash Carter had spoken by telephone with Sergei K. Shoigu, the Russian minister of defense. It was Carter's first discussion with his Russian counterpart since he became defense secretary seven months ago. The two men agreed to continue discussions on "mechanisms for deconfliction" in Syria, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The Pentagon described it as "a constructive conversation." The Pentagon press secretary, Peter Cook, said the two men had "talked about areas where the United States and Russia's perspectives overlap, and areas of divergence."
The initial purpose of the talks with Russia, Kerry said in London, will be to help "define some of the different options that are available to us as we consider next steps in Syria."
Kerry said that the Obama administration would not change its basic goals in Syria: The defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and a political solution for the conflict there.
But though the administration has long said that President Bashar Assad must go for there to be a durable solution to the Syria crisis, Kerry seemed on Friday to allow for the possibility that Assad might remain in power in the short term. Assad has had Russia's backing throughout the conflict.
"Our focus remains on destroying ISIL and also on a political settlement with respect to Syria, which we believe cannot be achieved with the long-term presence of Assad," Kerry said. "But we're looking for ways in which to try to find a common ground. Clearly, if you're going to have a political settlement, which we've always argued is the best and only way to resolve Syria, you need to have conversations with people, and you need to find a common ground."
Kerry made his remarks in London at the start of a meeting with Abdullah bin Zayed, the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates. Kerry also plans to meet on Saturday with the British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, and then will travel to Germany on Sunday for discussions focused mainly on the Syria crisis and the refugee situation in Europe.