The article originally appeared at German Economic News. Translated for RI by Anita Zalaldinova.
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© ReutersSyrian and Ukrainian activists protested in September 2013 in front of the US Embassy in Kiev against military intervention in Syria. They consider the US government as the mastermind behind radical Islamist groups
The Ukrainian conflict was sparked by the US in response to Russia's activities in the Middle East, the US private intelligence service Stratfor suggested. Washington was discontented with the role of Moscow in the Syrian conflict, and wanted to avert it by using Ukraine.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday during his visit to the US Air Force base in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh that military pressure would be needed to force Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to negotiate. Syria needs a political transition and Assad should be removed because he 'had lost any legitimacy', AP cites Kerry as saying.

Kerry added that the fight against the Islamic State is the most important task of the US in Syria and Iraq. Assad, however, brings a serious accusation against the United States. The US air strikes against the IS were of 'purely cosmetic' nature. Terrorism cannot be combated from the air, said Assad. The statement that air strikes of Anti-IS alliance would strengthen Syria are not truthful.

It remains unclear whether the US seriously intend to carry out a military strike against Syria. Then that would invoke the Syrian allies plan with Russia. So far Kremlin has been at the side of the Syrian government. But the Ukrainian crisis is likely to have limited international latitude of Russia.

Head of the secret intelligence think tank Stratfor, George Friedman, said in an interview with the newspaper 'Kommersant' that the overthrow of Yanukovych's government had been planned and carried out by the United States.

That was the reaction to the Kremlin success in the Middle East, as the Middle East was a 'key region' for US interests. Russia, being an actor in the Middle East, is one of many challenges facing the United States. Moscow supported the Syrian government and was also active in other Middle Eastern states.

Washington wants to overthrow the Assad government and support the opposition. But Kremlin has the potential to influence the course of events in the Middle East and is currently the biggest obstacle to the United States. This also included Russian interference into the processes with Iraq and Iran. But Washington has practiced no direct retaliation against Russia in Ukraine but only the one for the Syrian conflict.

It was rather aimed to distract Russia and to make her occupied with other problems. That was the idea behind the Ukraine conflict.

The US think tank 'Atlantic Council' reported that the United States can exercise larger diplomatic pressure on Russia in Syria due to the conflict in Ukraine. Russia could abandon its 'reflexive defensive stance' in regard to the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad, and thus would make it more accessible to US interests. That is at least one possible scenario.

At the end of December, 2014, Russia criticized confusion of the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine within the framework of the 'Ukraine Freedom Support Act' , which was dismissed by the US Senate. In its note the Russian Foreign Ministry says: 'Once again Washington brings groundless accusations against Russia and threatens it with more sanctions. At the same time, the conflicts in Ukraine and in Syria, which the US have inflated, are intertwined'.