MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. Washington’s troop pullout from Syria may well be an attempt to pit Russia and Turkey against each other in the region, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine issued on Thursday.

"Something like that is quite plausible," he said when asked whether he believes that the US is likely not to remove all of its troops in the end, but rather just clear enough space for Russia and Turkey to lock horns with each other. "We, as well as our colleagues in Ankara and others - we all understand perfectly well that this aspect is also possible. This is also part of the equation that we will have to solve," the diplomat specified.

However, he cautioned against "interpreting the developments [only] from this angle."

"It is important for us to weigh all sides of this de-facto process," he stressed. "I cannot pass judgement on what this process is all about, at the moment. But it is impossible to draw any conclusions without analyzing objective data."

"Frankly speaking, it is necessary to judge by deeds and not by words, especially if we are talking about the US," Ryabkov stressed.