MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States’ comprehension that it is an exceptional nation is hampering the fight against terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.
“The factor which is not helping the matter [of fighting terrorism] is the American comprehension of being an exceptional nation <…> They believe they can conquer everyone else. They created a coalition on Syria and this is completely their own concept,” Lavrov said during an interview with Russia’s Zvezda television channel.
The United States has created an international coalition, comprising 65 countries, to participate in an aerial campaign against the Islamic States (IS, or Daesh in the Arab world) targets in Syria and Iraq. However, in Syria the coalition operates without the approval of Damascus or the UN Security Council.
On Saturday, US Defense Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza told Sputnik that the United States would not cooperate with Russia in intelligence sharing on the terrorist targets in Syria until Moscow changed its strategy of supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad. Washington wants Assad to step down.
