"The issue of chemical weapons has become the subject of speculation and provocation," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference with his German and Finnish counterparts on Thursday.

He also warned the US administration against distorting the goals of the new conference on Syria.

Lavrov criticized the statement made by the US Department of State saying the purpose of the Geneva-2 forum should be the formation of a transition government to which the Syrian administration will fully give all powers.

"I have heard that officials from the US Department of State have given a very peculiar comment on the results of yesterday's meeting in Geneva between Russian, US, and UN," Lavrov said.

"Specifically, they said that Russia, the US, and the UN agree that the purpose of the new conference in Geneva should be the formation of a new transition government in Syria," he said.

"That really agrees with what was recorded back in 2012. However, according to the reports I have received, the Department of State added that we are talking about a transition government to which the current Syrian authorities will give all powers," Lavrov said.

"If a Department of State official really said that, it's a very distorted representation of what was discussed," Lavrov said.

"You must agree that forming a government based on accord between the government and the opposition is one thing and forming it by transferring the powers from the government to the opposition is a totally different thing," Lavrov said.

Lavrov also urged Turkey to clarify reports that militants fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had been arrested on its soil in possession of the nerve agent sarin.

Russia has repeatedly warned against outside intervention in Syria, saying the Syrian people themselves should decide their fate.