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Russian Foreign Ministry: US policy towards Syria remains enigmatic

All questions concerning the situation in Syria will be discussed at the talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Russia's deputy foreign minister said

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. The US administration’s policy towards the conflict in Syria still remains an enigma to Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the media ahead of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s talks with visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

"All questions concerning the situation in Syria will be discussed at the forthcoming talks. We are somewhat confused about what the US administration has in mind when at different levels it recalls zones of security or zones of stability," Ryabkov said.

"By and large the US Administration’s policy towards Syria remains an enigma to us," he added. "Inconsistency comes to mind first thing."

The attempts to force a resolution on Syria through the United Nations Security Council show Washington’s desire to legitimize the missile strike on a Syrian air base, Ryabkov said.

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Moscow has already stated that the US missile strike on Syria’s Shayrat military air base is "an act of aggression and violation of international law," the diplomat said.

"The attempts to steamroll the UN Security Council resolution are nothing else than a drive to legitimize the strike. If we speak about any resolution today, then we could probably consider an option of condemning the steps of the US, which violated the international law and committed an act of aggression," Ryabkov said.

"As this option is not suitable, there is nothing to discuss here," he noted.

On April 7, US President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Syria’s Shayrat military air base located in the Homs Governorate. The attack, involving 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles, came as a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Idlib Governorate on April 4. The US authorities believe that the airstrike on Idlib was launched from the Shayrat air base, but failed to provide any evidence of the use of chemical weapons so far.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US strike against the air base in Homs Province was a violation of international law.

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