ADDS QUOTES FROM RUSSIAN PM; EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Diyar Guldogan
ANKARA (AA) – The Kremlin has warned the suspension of its deal on flight safety and preventing incidents with U.S. forces in Syria has significantly increased risk in the war-torn country.
“The risk has been increased substantially,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday, according to Russian news agency, TASS.
Peskov confirmed Russia had suspended its memorandum with the U.S.
“The memorandum lost its meaning tonight with [the U.S.] strikes,” he said.
The U.S. fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian military air base American officials believe was used to carry out a deadly chemical attack Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed.
The missiles were fired from two U.S. destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean and hit the air base at approximately 3.45 a.m. Syrian local time Friday (0045GMT).
Aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems and radars were targeted, the Pentagon said.
– US briefed Russia
Peskov said the U.S. had informed Russia before it carried out the missile strikes.
However, he said a phone conversation between President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump had not been scheduled yet.
Meanwhile, Putin held a detailed meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council, the Kremlin said in a statement.
“Washington’s actions were once again qualified as an act of aggression, contrary to international law,” the statement read.
During the meeting, Russian officials warned of “inevitable and negative” consequences — from what they branded “aggressive” actions — for common counterterrorism efforts, according to the statement.
“The parties said it is highly regrettable that bilateral Russian-U.S. relations were damaged as a result of the strikes on the Syrian air base.
“The meeting also considered various issues related to the Russian Aerospace Forces’ continuing operation to support counterterrorism operations by the Syrian armed forces,” the statement added.
-Russian PM’s ‘clash’ warning
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev wrote on social media on Friday the U.S. strike in Syria had brought the country “on the verge of a military clash with Russia”.
“Instead of an overworked statement about a joint fight against the biggest enemy, ISIS [Daesh], the Trump administration proved that it will fiercely fight the legitimate Syrian government,” Medvedev wrote.
Medvedev wrote the U.S. strikes were “in tough contradiction with international law and without UN approval, in violation of its own procedures stipulating that the Congress must first be notified of any military operation unrelated to aggression against the U.S.”
Russia regarded the U.S. missile strikes on Syria as an “act of aggression” against a sovereign state delivered in violation of international law under a “far-fetched pretext”, the Kremlin had said in an earlier statement.
The U.S strikes were billed as a response to a recent chemical attack in Syria.
On Tuesday, more than 100 civilians were reportedly killed and 500 others — mostly children — were injured in the attack allegedly carried out by the Bashar al-Assad regime in the town of Khan Shaykhun, Idlib province, according to the Syrian opposition government’s health minister Firas Jundi.
The Syrian regime denied allegations it has used chemical weapons.
