Russia’s top diplomat on Wednesday accused the U.S. of an “unlawful attack” against Syria as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Moscow for his first trip since taking office.
“We have seen very alarming actions recently with an unlawful attack against Syria,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to The Associated Press. “We consider it of the utmost importance to prevent the risks of replay of similar action in the future.”
Lavrov added Russia has no intention of revoking its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad amid international outcry over his alleged chemical weapons use in the country’s ongoing civil war.
{mosads}“Our policy is consistent and it’s formulated exclusively on the basis of international law and not under the impact of current opportunistic motives of false choice: ‘You are with us or against us,’” he told Tillerson.
President Trump ordered a missile strike in Syria last week following reports forces loyal to Assad conducted a chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held province, killing 80 civilians.
Trump on Tuesday criticized Russia’s support of Assad, calling the Syrian leader an “evil person” and “an animal.”
The White House released an intelligence assessment saying it is “confident” Assad’s forces used sarin gas against civilians earlier this month.