Russia reiterates rejection of coalition attacks on Syrian troops

MOSCOW, June 22 (KUNA) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday reaffirmed his country's stance rejecting the attacks by the US coalition against the Syrian troops.
In a phone call with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Lavrov has criticized the attacks that violated Syria's sovereignty and undermined the Syrian government's offensive against militant groups, especially the so-called Islamic State (IS), according to a foreign ministry statement.
Lavrov noted that the US pressures on Moscow through sanctions are in vain, warning that such practices would more harm all aspects of bilateral ties that are already suffering a deep crisis.
"Actions of this kind, put the entire sphere of Russian-American relations at serious risk," the ministry quoted Lavrov as saying in the call with Tillerson.
Lavrov said Moscow was still waiting for a US response to earlier proposals to improve ties.
On Wednesday, Moscow called off much-anticipated consultations with a senior US administration official in response to a fresh round of US sanctions on Russia and expressed its disappointment over the US shooting down a Syrian government jet earlier this week. (end) as.msa