The press in Moscow is preparing the Russian public for an impending war with the West, according to a report on NRG . Such a war could begin in Syria, but it could also be sparked by current conflicts in the Ukraine, Moldova or the Balkans. Just three days ago, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned of a possible impending world war . At the same time that it is beating the war drums, however, the press in Russia reported – like its western counterparts – about the phone conversation Sunday morning between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama. The two reportedly talked about the escalating civil war in Syria and agreed to intensify efforts at bringing the fighting there to a halt. The Interfax news agency said the call on Saturday was initiated by the US and that it focused on how to unite US-led and Russian military operations against ISIS and other armed groups fighting in the country. "The Russian president again emphasized the importance of creating a united anti-terrorist front while giving up double standards," the report said. "An agreement was reached to intensify cooperation between the diplomatic agencies and other structures for the purpose of implementing the statement by the International Syria Support group adopted in Munich," the Kremlin press service reported. The phone discussion also reportedly included discussion of a ceasefire and ways to get humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians. Last week at a security summit in Munich, Germany, world leaders agreed to implement a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria in the coming days. However, Russia has continued to bombard rebel positions around Aleppo even as the Syrian army captures more territory in the country's north. An escalation The RT ( Russia Today ) website blamed the West for the escalation, reporting that the Syrian crisis "is entering a crucial stage that could either end in world powers agreeing that peace must be given a chance in the war-torn country – or an all-out ground invasion by foreign troops, which has been threatened by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the US. There are grounds to believe, however, that Ankara will not tolerate any peace in Syria that brings about a defeat of the anti-government forces there." Saudi Arabia has been deploying military jets and personnel to Turkey’s southern Incirlik Air Base, as part of the US-led effort to defeat ISIS, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Political commentator Marwa Osman told RT that the impending ground incursion by Western and pro-Western forces is a reaction of the fact that the Syrian Arab Army has been making gains in Aleppo. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE voiced their readiness to contribute troops to a ground offensive in Syria, but only if the US would lead the intervention. The Gulf states and Turkey are united in wanting Syrian President Bashar Assad to be overthrown. The New York Times wrote this week that Russian military action "has changed the shape of a conflict that had effectively been stalemated for years." Suddenly, it noted, Bashar Assad and his allies "have momentum, and the United States-backed rebels are on the run."
