German MP Explains Why West Unlikely to Accept Russia-Backed Syria Peace Plan

The West is unlikely to accept the peace process in Syria which has been launched by Russia without the Western participation, and the US decision to impose new sanctions against Russia is linked with it, Alexander Neu, a member of the German Bundestag's defense legislative committee, told Sputnik on Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Thursday, Washington imposed sanctions on five Russian entities and six individuals, and is expelling 35 Russian diplomats in retaliation for Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. This happened the same day that Russia announced the new ceasefire in Syria.

"There are few reasons for [outgoing US President Barack] Obama's actions. Surely, Russia's success in Syria excluding the West from participating in the peace process can be one of the reason. It is most likely that the West will not accept this Russian-dealt peace and therefore will continue to support terrorists even more," Alexander Neu said.

He also added that Obama's latest decision was aimed at "making it most difficult for [incoming President Donald] Trump to normalise the American-Russian relationship."

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups had reached an agreement on a ceasefire on the Syrian territory and on readiness to start peace talks. Russia and Turkey serve as guarantors of the deal, which paves the way for negotiations between the warring parties.