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Kremlin sees no need to comment on UK statements on Russia’s goals in Syria

UK Foreign Secretary accused Russia of using "the peace process as a fig leaf to try to deliver some kind of military victory for Assad that creates an Alawite mini state in the northwest of Syria"

Dmitry Peskov Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Dmitry Peskov

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/. The Kremlin sees no need to comment on UK Foreign Office’s statements about Russia’s goals in Syria, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

"I think my colleagues in the Russian Foreign Ministry will once again react to such statements. We see no need to do this," Peskov said commenting on UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond’s statements that Russia could be trying to use "the peace process as a fig leaf to try to deliver some kind of military victory for Assad that creates an Alawite mini state in the northwest of Syria."

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When asked about Russia’s criticism of his statements, Hammond said: "There has to be a limit to the amount of time that the Russians can sit at the negotiating table posing as sponsors of the political track while at the same time bombing the people who we believe have to be the future of Syria."

On 30 September 2015 Russia’s Federation Council unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin’s request to launch a military operation in Syria against Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups. Russian Aerospace Defense Forces delivered first targeted airstrikes at militants’ positions on the same day. Since the start of the operation, Russian aviation made hundreds of sorties, destroyed dozens of ammunition depots, explosives production plants and command posts.

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Russia's military grouping in Syria

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Foreign policy Islamic State Syrian conflict

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