UNITED NATIONS, July 11 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, has strongly denied the U.S. claims that Moscow is blocking the UN Security Council’s attempts to get access to Syria for investigating the reports on combat utilization of chemical weapons there.

These claims stand strictly at variance with reality, Churkin said.

His commentary came as a response to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of State.