Relations between Russia and the US are getting even more difficult. Earlier this week, the Kremlin said they would consider a range of retaliatory measures in response to a planned new round of US sanctions against Moscow over its role in Ukraine. 

This happened just a couple of days after the US shot down a Syrian military plane. Russia warned that it would view US-led coalition aircraft fighting in Syria as targets.

But would the US likely step up involvement in the Syrian war and ratchet up simmering tensions with Russia? Experts from different sides have expressed their opinions on World Insight.

Ivan Eland, a senior fellow and the director of the Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute, believes competition between Russia and the US has never buried since the Cold War but now this competition is “ridiculous”. “Syria is not really strategic to the United States. Syria has been an ally of Russia and I understand why Russia is in there.” 

Despite that, Eland has raised questions over what’s the US interests in Syria. He explains that “the US is committed to take out ISIL. The question is what’s next? If ISIL is defeated in Mosul and Raqqa, then who do we go after? Some in the Trump administration might want to challenge the Iranian militias. I think that’s a bad aspiration. I don’t think we want to get involved any deeper in this conflict.” 

Russian defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said what the Russian president and Russian officials really wanted to understand was which voice in Washington was really the voice of authority. 

“That we are simply frustrated because we don’t know what the Americans want. We don’t understand what they’ll do next. Why they’re digging their heels defending places in Syria in the south and in Raqqa, use their forces to attack Assad’s forces.” 

While, from Yang Xiyu's point of view, senior research fellow from the China Institute of International Studies, neither Ukraine nor Syria is vital for the US. 

While for Russia, “Ukraine is vital to some degree. But, why the two big powers have no signal to make  concession to de-escalate tensions, although I do feel the US has no strategy on Syria at all. They have very obvious enemies, say IS, and they also have a very important aim – removing the Assad regime,” said Yang.

In terms of Assad regime, Yang believes Russia will not make any concession in the current issue with the US and the EU, no matter how extreme the pressure would be on Russia.