As last week’s “dissent cable,” signed by US State Department officials, criticized President Barack Obama’s Syrian strategy for not being very strategic, the mood in Moscow seems quite different. Recent low-intensity diplomatic spats between the two states over whose patience is running thinner in Syria signal more-profound grievances in both capitals regarding their respective strategies, as well as one another.

Indeed, Secretary of State John Kerry said US “patience is not infinite” and is “in fact, very limited with respect to whether or not [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad is going to be held accountable.” That statement spurred strong reaction from the Russians. Immediately afterward, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov advised Kerry to be “less impatient,” especially since Obama has repeatedly stated that his administration is “carrying out a policy of strategic patience.” Russian military officials were — quite predictably — even harsher. “If anyone’s patience on Syria is waning, it is ours, not the United States',” said Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military’s general staff.

“We are in full compliance with our obligations to maintain the cease-fire and ensure national reconciliation in Syria,” Gerasimov said. “For three months we’ve been sending positioning data of [the Islamic State (IS)] and [Jabhat al-Nusra] to the Americans, and our US partners are still undecided where there are opposition forces and where there are ‘turncoats’ from international terrorist organizations.”

In fact, the statements reflect a broader disappointment within Moscow. Russian media and mainstream commentators have until now focused primarily on the battle for Raqqa, but more knowledgeable pundits and decision-makers are tacitly concerned that the events in Syria are not running the course Moscow initially charted. No doubt, IS is largely seen by most parties as an enemy that cannot be compromised with under any circumstances. But as far as the US presence in the area is concerned, some Russian reporters compare it to the “run for Berlin,” meaning Russia and the United States are desperately trying to ensure their own forces seize the city first.