“We are not prepared to cooperate on strategy which, as we explained, is flawed, tragically flawed, on the Russians’ part”, Carter said in Rome, before heading to Brussels.
Advertisement
“In Syria, we have seen a troubling escalation of Russian military activities”, Stoltenberg said.
Insurgents advanced into the area in July, building on gains that posed a threat to the coastal region vital to president Bashar al-Assad’s control of western Syria and catalysing Russia’s intervention on his side.
United Kingdom Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said “a small number” of UK military personnel – thought to be around 100 – would be sent to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Poland.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has stepped in to support member nation Turkey, which is now caught in between the Syrian conflict and Russian actions, calling on Russia to stop its raids and strikes aganst ISIS militants in Syria.
“What we have received from Russian Federation this morning is that this was a mistake and that they respect Turkey’s borders and this will not happen again”, Davutoglu said of Saturday’s airspace violation, making clear Turkey would respond if provoked.
Turkey will not allow the repeated violation of its airspace by the planes of the Russian Air Forces, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.
The rise in tensions came as Russian warplanes struck Islamic State group targets in and around the ancient city of Palmyra for the first time, Syrian state TV said.
Nato’s secretary-general has rejected Moscow’s claim that its military incursion into alliance airspace over Turkey was not intentional or important, saying there were two separate incidents and “the violation lasted for a long time”.
But U.S. administration officials on Wednesday said the longstanding issue of a no-fly zone in Syria has been discussed but no had yet been decision made.
“We are facing many challenges from many different directions”, Mr Stoltenberg said. It has since deteriorated into fighting between pro-government forces and various rebel groups – a few of which also fight each other.
“Other terrorist consider Russian Federation has the wrong strategy”, President said.
THE former minister for Portsmouth is today in talks with top European Union defence ministers over Russia’s military strikes in Syria.
Advertisement
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday’s Russian airstrikes in Idlib killed at least seven civilians.
