Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the United States is attempting to include positions held by al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front terrorists in a regime of calm in the northwestern Aleppo Province during Washington’s talks with Moscow on the issue.
Lavrov made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Russia’s Sputnik news agency published on Wednesday.
Lavrov Says US Seeks to Support Al-Nusra Front from Russian Airstrikes in Aleppo
"During the negotiations, our US partners actually tried to draw the borders of this ‘zone of silence’ to include a significant number of positions occupied by al-Nusra [Front]. We managed to exclude this as it is absolutely unacceptable," Lavrov said.
Such a move by Washington indicated that “someone wants to use the Americans to stop al-Nusra being targeted by strikes," he added.
Russia and the US recently brokered a “regime of calm” in Latakia Province and Damascus’ suburbs and talks are underway to expand the regime to Aleppo as well.
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