Donald Trump says if he becomes the next US president, he would like to "get together with Russia" to "knock the hell out of Isis".
His keenness to cooperate with Vladimir Putin against the so-called Islamic State group in Syria has provoked consternation and outrage among many, both Democrats and Republicans.
The spokesman for House of Representatives, Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, has summed up a common attitude by saying simply: "Russia is a global menace led by a devious thug."
But, despite the chill between the two countries on a raft of other matters, are Russian and American interests in Syria really so far apart?