Russia reached an understanding with the U.S. on air safety guidelines in Syria on October 20, but Russia's aggressive maneuvers against U.S. aircraft and violations of Turkish airspace are likely to continue in order to keep U.S. air power in the Middle East in check. Russia hosted Bashar al-Assad in Moscow on October 20 in order to reinforce Russia's position as Assad's top sponsor. Russia continued efforts to project military force elsewhere in Middle East at the expense of U.S. influence in the region. Russia called for an expansion of technical military cooperation with Egypt and Iraq and established a "hotline" with Israel to deconflict air operations in Syria. Russia is using the sale of attack helicopters in multiple instances as a platform by which to compete with the U.S. for military partnerships.
Meanwhile, Russia reinforced its strategic partnership with Iran by agreeing to host a senior military delegation in Moscow in late October. New reports that Cuba has deployed forces to support Russia's campaign in Syria would further underscore the emergence of a Russian coalition in the Middle East that will compete with the U.S.-led coalition if confirmed. Russia will likely continue to aggressively confront the U.S. and its allies until the U.S. withdraws from Syria or takes more direct steps to challenge Russia's freedom of action.
Russia also pursued deeper bilateral and multilateral military alliances in the former Soviet Union. Moscow revealed plans to establish a joint "military organization" with Belarus in response to NATO activity in Eastern Europe. Russia signed an agreement with other former Soviet states to form a joint border patrol force, possibly for deployment to the Afghan-Tajik border, which President Vladimir Putin framed as a gateway for terrorists to expand into Central Asia. Russia made overtures to Afghanistan, suggesting that Russian military assistance would be more effective at supporting Afghanistan's counterinsurgency than the presence of U.S. troops. Russia views the Afghan-Tajik border as another front for military competition with the U.S.
