Putin and Modi Urge, Sever ISIS’ Financing Sources

In his press conference with reporters following the G20 meeting in Turkey, Russian President Vladimir Putin reported on the broad discussion at the meeting on the urgent need to cut off ISIS’ financing sources.

Speaking to a meeting of BRICS members on the sidelines of the G20, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called for a “comprehensive strategy to put an end to finance, supplies, and communication channels of the terrorists.” ISIS must be “starved” of funds, Modi underscored.

As the Kremlin transcript of the press conference indicates, Putin was very specific:

He emphasized that he had provided satellite photos “to our colleagues, which clearly show the true size of [ISIS’] illegal trade of oil and petroleum products market. Car convoys stretching for dozens of kilometers, going beyond the horizon, when seen from a height of 4,000 to 5,000 meters.”

Reflecting discussions that took place Nov. 14 in Vienna, and ongoing discussions between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin said that one part of the Syrian opposition “considers it possible to begin military actions against ISIL with the assistance of Russian air forces, and we are ready to provide that assistance.” If this happens, he explained, Bashar al-Assad’s “army on the one hand, and the opposition on the other hand, will fight a common enemy.” Russia needs support from the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran in the fight against terrorism, he added. “It’s not the time to debate who is more effective in the fight against ISIL; what we need to do is consolidate our efforts.”

Putin referenced the work underway to create a list of the terrorist organizations that are operating in Syria, which task, according to U.S. intelligence sources, has been delegated to Jordan, whose King Abdullah II is close to Putin but also considered a close ally of the United States.