R ussian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia supports the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), providing air support, weapons and ammunition in joint operations with Syrian government troops against Islamist militants. “Apart from that, we offer them air support, as we support the Syria army helping them with weapons, munitions and materiel”. The Russian leader also confirmed that the FSA are providing intelligence to troops on the ground.
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Turkey’s prime minister accused Russian Federation on Wednesday of attempted “ethnic cleansing” in northern Syria, saying Moscow was trying to drive out the local Turkmen and Sunni Muslim populations to protect its military interests in the region.
“It’s unclear to us… whether these claims of support to the FSA are true”, Kirby said.
“What they’ve got to do is stop propping up the Assad regime, stop bombing opposition groups who are opposed to the Assad regime … and get behind the political process that is now under way of leading that country to a more pluralist government and a future without Assad”, Fallon said.
Without naming Turkey, Putin said the military should respond in full force to any further “provocations”.
Russia’s military base in Syria, he added, has more aircraft and air defense weapons now.
“I order you to act as tough as possible”, he told a defence meeting in televised remarks”.
Russia’s Aerospace Forces launched pinpoint strikes against the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra targets in Syria on September 30 after the Federation Council upper parliament house unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin’s request for the use of the armed forces against terrorists in Syria.
Putin reiterated the importance of ramping up cooperation with countries “really interested in eliminating terrorists”, including the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition.
Turkey said the bomber had entered its airspace, something denied by Russian Federation.
After the downing of the jet, which led to the deaths of a pilot and another serviceman who tried to rescue him, Russian Federation introduced economic sanctions against Turkey and beefed up its firepower at its airbase in Syria.
The State Department says Kerry will travel from Paris to Moscow on Monday, after attending a ministerial meeting on Syria in the French capital.
Islamic State is also known by the acronyms ISIL and ISIS.
“The situation in Russian-American relations remain hard”, the ministry said, citing “confrontational steps” taken by Washington surrounding the Ukraine crisis.
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Kerry’s trip will be his second to Russian Federation this year.
