Russian Federation has sent more than a dozen attack planes to Syria amid devastating civil war going on across the country since 2011.
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Washington has said it is troubled by Moscow’s backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who the United States has said should leave office to allow a political transition.
Lavrov referred to comments by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last week after military talks restarted between Washington and Moscow on Syria, where a war shows no signs of abating after 4-1/2 years.
In the past couple of weeks the United States has been railing against Russia’s military aid to the Syrian government, and has been trying to position itself as even more averse to the survival of the existing government than usual, irrespective of the “pro-US faction” that the U.S. intends to install as the new government largely being non-existent.
Asked about the Jane’s report at a regular news briefing Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook declined to comment on “intelligence matters”.
He said Carter would welcome a “constructive” Russian role against ISIS, but it would have to be coordinated.
The new satellite image providing solid evidence of Russia’s arms delivery to Syria comes amid a rapid Russian military build-up in the country.
Russian Federation has built up naval infantry forces and heavy equipment including tanks and helicopters at Syria’s Latakia airbase, USA officials say.
The Russian military moves amid the volatile Syrian conflict have fueled fears of a miscalculation that could further escalate hostilities.
Moscow says its fight is with ISIS, the brutal Islamist group that’s captured large swathes of territory.
Israel has also raised concerns that Russian involvement on Assad’s side in the conflict in Syria could accidentally lead to confrontations between Russian and Israeli forces there.
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“Russia’s recent military escalation in Syria is a further reminder that when the US does not take the initiative, others will fill the vacuum, often in ways that are harmful to our interest”, Petraeus said before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
