Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, Oct. 16.

DAMASCUS — The United States is no longer insisting on the resignation of Syrian President Bashar Assad and is trying to establish separate contacts with Damascus, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.

“It’s not that the United States insists on Assad leaving office, although as far as I know, they went beyond insisting and are, in fact, trying to establish separate contacts within the leadership of the Syrian Republic, to tell you the truth,” Medvedev said in an interview with CNBC.

At the same time, he stressed that discussions of joint anti-terrorist activities, including the anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition, should be held only with the central government of Syria.

“And there may be only one legitimate question: if this kind of action is really needed, then it’s essential to achieve a common position and get the go-ahead from the legitimate government of Syria,” Medvedev said.

“Again, some may not like it, or may dislike Assad and wish to see him go, but until that happens, the central government of Syria is the sole bearer of the sovereignty of the Syrian people. That’s what needs to be kept in mind when discussing any kind of action.”

The internal conflict in Syria began in the spring of 2011. Since the beginning of the crisis, the United States and some of its allies have supported the opposition, insisting on Assad’s resignation. Washington has repeatedly said that it would not coordinate with Damascus its attacks on Syrian territory targeting the IS. The U.S.-led coalition is currently engaged in an operation in Syria and Iraq to halt the advance of the terrorist organization.

Coalition halts IS advance in Kobani

Two days of heavy air strikes by U.S. warplanes have slowed an advance by IS militants against Kurdish forces defending the Syrian border town of Kobani.

Turkish and U.S. officials said last week that Islamic State was on the verge of taking Kobani from its heavily outgunned Kurdish defenders, after seizing strategic points deep inside the town.

The tempo of coalition air strikes has increased dramatically, with U.S. fighter and bomber planes carrying out 14 raids against Islamic State targets near Kobani on Wednesday and Thursday, the U.S. military’s Central Command said.

The strikes had seen the militants’ advance slow, but “the security situation on the ground in Kobani remains tenuous,” the U.S. statement added.

The four-week IS assault has been seen as a test of President Obama’s air strike strategy, and Kurdish leaders say the town cannot survive without arms and ammunition reaching the defenders, something neighboring Turkey has so far refused to allow.

The State Department said on Thursday that a U.S. official had held direct talks for the first time last weekend with a Syrian Kurdish group involved in the fight against IS in Syria, including Kobani. Kurdish spokesmen said their forces were giving coordinates of the militants’ positions to the United States.

IS has been keen to take the town to consolidate its position in northern Syria after seizing large amounts of territory in that country and in Iraq. A defeat in Kobani would be a major setback for the militants and a boost for Obama.

Heavy and light weapons fire were audible from across the border in Turkey on Thursday afternoon, with one stray mortar hitting Turkish soil close to abandoned tents, a Reuters correspondent said.

Turkish security forces moved civilians and media away from hills overlooking Kobani as the fighting raged.

Six air strikes hit eastern Kobani and there was fierce fighting between Kurdish and IS fighters overnight on Wednesday, but neither side made significant gains, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Kurdish fighters later managed to seize a street in Kobani that had been held by militants, the Observatory said.

A journalist in Kobani said air strikes had allowed Kurdish forces to go on the offensive for the first time since IS launched its assault four weeks ago.

“We walked past some (YPG) positions in the east yesterday that were held by IS only two days ago,” Abdulrahman Gok said.

“Officials here say the air strikes are sufficient but ground action is needed to wipe out IS. YPG is perfectly capable of doing that, but more weapons are needed,” he said, referring to the acronym for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units.

Islamic State’s Kobani offensive is one of several it has conducted after a series of lightning advances since June, which have sent shockwaves through the region and sparked alarm in Western capitals.