The announcement from Pentagon chief James Mattis that the US forces will not leave Syria until the "political process is moving in the right direction," violate the Geneva agreements, Sergei Lavrov said.
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"The United States believes that the right direction for Syria is regime change, as you know. Despite not demanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad resign immediately, their claims contradict the Geneva agreements, " Lavrov said, adding that Washington's stated aim in the Syria war is the fight against terrorism.
Meanwhile, he went on to say, Washington's wards from various militant groups are the greatest danger in Syria.
"If you look at who is the greatest danger, it's just the wards of the United States, various foreign terrorists, militants who are attached to those groups of armed opposition that the US supports," Lavrov said.
Lavrov also said that Russia did not promise to ensure the withdrawal of pro-Iran groups from Syria, commenting on a statement from a State Department official who said otherwise.
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Damascus has repeatedly slammed the US presence in Syria, underscoring that any foreign military operation taking place without the government's consent would be considered an illegal invasion. Russia kicked off its operation against Daesh in Syria in 2015 at the request of the Damascus government.
