Both candidates will be forced back to the negotiating table with Russia next year if they follow through on their plans for Syria, according to one expert.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have both promised to initiate some type of "muscular intervention" in Syria, said Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center.

Clinton called the humanitarian crisis in Syria "catastrophic" during Sunday night's debate, and said she supported both a "no-fly zone and safe zones" as well as repercussions for the those bombing the civilians remaining in Aleppo.

"I do support the effort to investigate for crimes, war crimes committed by the Syrians and the Russians and try to hold them accountable," Clinton said.

Trump has said that he supported the idea of a safe zone in Syria. During the debate, he said he disagreed with his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who advocated a strong military response if Syria escalates the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo.

"I think you have to knock out ISIS. Right now, Syria is fighting ISIS. We have people that want to fight both at the same time. But Syria is no longer Syria. Syria is Russia and it's Iran," Trump said at the debate.

Rojansky said that in a war campaign such as the one in Syria where Russia is the dominant air power, neither of these strategies is possible without negotiations with Russia.

"We can say we're leaving the table, but we're going to be right back there with the next administration," Rojansky said Tuesday during a conference call hosted by the Wilson Center.

Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to end talks with Russia unless it stopped its bombing campaign in Aleppo. While negotiations have been formally suspended, informal talks have continued.