MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia regrets the United States' decision not to meet with a Russian delegation to discuss the situation in Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
"Any refusal… especially in such a sensitive situation, this refusal to engage in dialogue, it does not contribute to a speedy rescue of this country and the entire region from the so-called Islamic State. Of course, Russia will continue its work to support the Syrian army's offensive [against IS]," Peskov told reporters.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow suggested sending a Russian delegation, headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, to Washington as well as conducting a meeting in Moscow on the Syrian civil war. Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Washington had said it could not accommodate Moscow.
A US-led international coalition has been conducting airstrikes against IS targets in Syria since 2014, as well as training and arming a so-called moderate opposition faction. Russian jets commenced precision airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria on September 30, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said later, citing US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, that Washington had contacted Russia to address the risk of miscalculations between the US-led coalition and Russia in Syrian airspace.
According to Lavrov, a Moscow-Washington accord on prevention of accidents in Syria’s airspace would be implemented any day.
