US Skips Over Russian Consultations Regarding Plans on Safe Zone in Syria

US President Donald Trump's administration should consider the implications of establishing a safe zone in Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Trump reiterated in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that he plans to create safe zones for civilians in the crisis-hit Arab republic. He stressed that the option was preferable to letting millions of refugees into Europe or the United States, labeling the EU approach to the problem "a disaster." The pledge echoed his election campaign promises.

"Our US partners have not consulted with Russia, it is a sovereign decision. It is important not to aggravate the situation with refugees. One ought to calculate all the possible consequences," Peskov told reporters.

Both Russia and the United States have been involved in trying to settle the Syrian conflict over the past year after Russia started its counterterrorist aerial campaign in the country in late 2015.

Turkey, which also got involved in the settlement effort more recently, intervened in northern Syria in August 2016. Turkish authorities said the aim of the operation was to clear the region from terrorists and make it a safety zone for refugees. The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity.

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