Kremlin says will press on with Syria operation, slams US

Kirby also declined to give details when asked multiple times by reporters about what a USA response would look like if Russian officials were unwilling or unable to influence the Syrian government forces to stop fighting and honor the ceasefire agreed to by Russian and US officials.

“The best of them (gifts) will be Washington’s rejection of cooperation with Russian Federation on the Syrian settlement”, Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page, adding that if the decision is taken, it will be a “great holiday” for terrorists.

Earlier John Kerry, the US Secretary of state, had threatened to cut off all contact with Russian Federation over Syria unless it halted the Aleppo offensive.

“I have information that Ahrar Al-Sham terrorists intend to mount attacks on the civilian population using white phosphorus for the sake of fabricating accusations against the Syrian state and its army”, the diplomat said as cited by TASS.

Blinken said “we also are actively considering other options” at President Barack Obama’s direction for ending the civil war. In a press conference, Mr. Kirby warned that “Russia will continue to send troops home in body bags, and they will continue to lose resources-even, perhaps, more aircraft” if it doesn’t change its position.

The monitoring group said there were injuries and extensive destruction to buildings.

Russia’s defence ministry said later on Wednesday that Moscow was prepared to relaunch talks with the U.S. on the crisis.

But U.S. officials are searching for a tougher response to Russia’s decision to ignore the peace process and seek military victory on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Ryabkov said they were proposing the ceasefire to guarantee civilian access to humanitarian aid but cited the US’ actions in Syria as the reason for its brevity, EFE news reported.

The harsh statement Thursday by ministry spokesman Maj.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted Moscow was still interested in seeing the deal with the United States work out, but said Washington had failed to deliver on its side of the bargain.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia’s air force would press ahead with its operations in Syria and dismissed a United States statement on the conflict there as unhelpful and clumsy.

The Russian spokesman on Friday painted this as proof of American complicity in global terrorism.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was also quoted by Russian media saying the us has not lived up to its commitment in the cease-fire deal to separate moderate Syrian rebel groups from militants involved in the multi-party war. He was responding to the statement made by US State Department spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday. Aleppo, which was Syria’s largest city before the war, has been nearly destroyed, although rebels continue to hold part of the city. “However, this dialogue must exclude even a hint of a threat to our military and Russian citizens”, he said.

O’Brien said both the Syrian government, which has encircled eastern Aleppo, and the rebels mounting attacks from inside the city were to blame for the situation. After intense bombings that devastated the town’s infrastructure, most residents have fled to other areas in rural Aleppo province. The new figure reflects the government’s protracted blockade around eastern Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 people or more live. As Lavrov pointed out, “Little by little, life will make everyone understand that it’s only together that you can fight terrorism”.

Addressing a group of local administrators on Thursday, Erdogan reiterated that a secure no-fly zone which Turkey would like established in Syria would help end the flow of refugees to Turkey and beyond.

The Syrian regime released video footage of what it said was Aleppo’s ancient Farafra district on Thursday.

Government forces seized the Handarat neighborhood along the contested city’s northern flank, forcing rebels to withdraw further from a crucial supply route to the city’s east, the Castello Road, pro-government media and observers said. Since last week, the government has waged a major air campaign in Aleppo and threatened a wide ground offensive.

In the latest offensive more than 1,000 people have been killed by 1,700 air strikes on east Aleppo alone.

In Aleppo, this official said, the destruction is so great that despite the Russian veto in the United Nations, the USA should be able to assemble greater worldwide military and logistical support and training for the embattled rebels, with Saudi Arabia, other Sunni Gulf states, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and Turkey playing the lead roles.

Ryabkov also said that Russian Federation would support a 48-hour ceasefire to allow aid into Aleppo, but said that any longer would allow rebel troops in the region to regroup.

Russian Federation has said it will carry on bombing rebel-held eastern Aleppo in Syria, defying United States demands to stop.

In February, Russian media quoted Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov as saying a USA “plan B” for Syria “does not and will not exist”.