Asia

Asia

Russia was informed about US strikes in Syria â€” Kremlin

07 April 2017 13:36 (UTC +04:00)

Russia was informed about forthcoming US strikes in Syria over existing communication channels. However, "nobody called [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said, APA reported citing TASS.

"Yes, this piece of information [about forthcoming strikes] was furnished," the Kremlin’s representative said, adding that US strikes on Syria impair fight against terrorism.

"As for the changes in geopolitical situation after these attacks, let's watch the situation develop together. So far, one can definitively say that that the strikes impaired the fight against terrorism," Kremlin spokesman said.

Moscow views US missile strikes on an air base in Syria as an act of aggression against its ally, Peskov stressed.

Asked at a news conference whether the US attack was viewed by the Kremlin as an act of aggression against Russia’s ally, Peskov said "Definitely."

"Since we are rendering assistance to the Syrian military in line with the relevant request from the Syrian authorities, we view Syria as our ally," Peskov statted.

Russia is terminating exchanges of information via military channels about its operations in Syria, Peskov said.

"Technically the channels remain, but no information will be exchanged," Peskov said while answering journalists’ questions after last night’s US strikes against targets in Syria.

Peskov confirmed that Russia has suspended the Memorandum on preventing military incidents and ensuring aviation security that was signed with the US. "This memorandum lost its meaning last night when the attack was carried out," he said.

The US missile strike on the Syrian airbase has seriously increased risks of incidents in the war-torn country, he stressed. "The risk has significantly increased,’ Peskov said.

"What is unambiguous is the fact that the strikes [by the US on Syria] de facto were delivered in the interests of the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terrorist organization outlawed in Russia], Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations," he said.