What’s next for talks between the U.S. and Russia?

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• HARI SREENIVASAN, PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND ANCHOR:

  New York Times correspondent Michael Gordon is traveling with Secretary Kerry. He joins me now via Skype, from London.

  There's been an escalation of military activity from Russia into Syria. What does the U.S. plan to do about it?

• MICHAEL GORDON, NEW YORK TIMES:

  Well, basically, the United States tried to stop it. About two weeks ago, the Russians began flowing equipment to an airbase south of Latakia.

  And initially, the Americans didn't know what was going on.

  But they've deployed housing now for — as many as 2,000 personnel. They've deployed more than 200 marines to protect the base, some tanks, some artillery, some armored personnel carriers.

  Now, they have air defense and several aircraft armed with air-to-air missiles.

  And the hope initially was to stop it, and the Obama administration tried to get states in the region to close their air space, but Iraq didn't go along, and the Russians are there, and now, there are Americans trying to make the best of it.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  Now, the Russians say that these are primarily defensive positions or postures, right?

• MICHAEL GORDON:

  Well, the Russians are deploying systems to Syria with an eye toward, they say, fighting the Islamic State.

  So, yes, they've deployed force protection around this base, but they're going there, ostensibly, to help the Assad regime fight the Islamic State militants.

  So, it's not a purely defensive configuration. And the concern that the Americans have is since they couldn't stop them from getting there and the Russian ignored their warnings, how do you de-conflict so the Russian aircraft and the American-led air campaign against the Islamic State don't bump into each other and you don't have an incident.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  So that means there's going to have to be coordination on figuring out when there are perhaps Russian boots on the ground and when there are American drones flying overhead, maybe going after the same ISIL targets.

• MICHAEL GORDON:

  Well, the American Americans have war planes overhead, not just drones, and not only the Americans now. There are Arab nations involved, Turkey's air force is involved, the Brits have a drone, the French may join in.

  So, you have aircraft that are operating, and not just drones, over Syria, carrying out air strikes, and then you have — these are not really Russian boots on the ground.

  These are Russian — presumably it's going to be Russian airpower. It hasn't taken any action yet. And, yes, they're going to have to deconflict so they don't get in each other's way and you don't have an incident.

  But, you know, the American concern goes well beyond that. I mean, they're worried that there's a hidden Russian agenda here — perhaps not so hidden — that the Russians may also be there to prop up Assad — Bashar al-Assad, and keep him in power, at least for a duration, and that the Russians may also be there in the event that Assad is overthrown they want to influence and help determine what the new leadership of the country looks like.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  And keeping Assad in power is still in direct opposition to what the Obama administration wants, right?

• MICHAEL GORDON:

  Yes. But the Obama administration hasn't done very much to get Assad out of power. All of the airstrikes in Syria are not aimed at any of Assad's forces. They're aimed at the Islamic State.

  And, indeed, the Pentagon's training program that has failed so miserably, one reason it had failed is the rebels who are being recruited were being told they couldn't fight the Assad regime.

  They were there only to fight the Islamic State. Well, surprise, surprise, not a lot of Syrians wanted to join for that reason alone.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  All right. Michael Gordon of The New York Times, joining us via Skype from London today — thanks so much.

• MICHAEL GORDON:

  OK, thank you.