Contact: Caroline Rabbitt (202) 224-2353

Washington, D.C.- Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the Syrian ceasefire agreement:

"I am deeply skeptical of the integrity and the wisdom of the latest ceasefire Secretary Kerry has arranged with his Russian counterpart, with the assent of Iran and its terrorist proxies. It is difficult to imagine that a ceasefire that Secretary Kerry negotiated from a position of weakness and desperation will be any more successful than the previous failed ceasefires. Those prior agreements only allowed Bashar al-Assad, Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah to solidify gains and continue their campaign of carnage against U.S.-backed groups and Syrian civilians. I fear this ceasefire will end similarly and intensify the already egregious amount of human suffering in Syria today. By agreeing to establish a joint military effort with Russia, President Obama is making clear what his failed Syria policy has long implied: he's abandoned his call for Assad to go and is content to follow Putin and Khamenei's lead."