Moscow: The Russian military said on Thursday that it’s ready to resume contacts with its US counterparts over the situation in Syria, even as US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to cut all cooperation with Moscow on Syria unless an onslaught on Aleppo ends.
Lt Gen Viktor Poznikhir of the military's General Staff said that Russian experts are ready to travel to Geneva to restart consultations with the US to “search for possible ways of normalizing the situation in Aleppo”. A US-Russian truce in Syria has collapsed and the Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched an attempt to take control of the rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo.
Mr Kerry said Wednesday the US is preparing to “suspend US-Russia bilateral engagement on Syria,” including talks on a possible counter-extremist partnership, unless Russian and Syrian government attacks on Aleppo end.
More than 250 people are believed to have been killed in the besieged city in the last week. Poznikhir didn't make any reference to Kerry’s statement, saying only that Russia was ready to continue discussions.
“It’s expected that Russian experts will be sent to Geneva shortly to resume consultations with the American side,” he said. “We hope that American partners are also ready for joint work,” he said.
