Ryabkov: US stance on Syria 'a mystery' for Russia

The US position on Syria remains a mystery to Russia, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said minutes before US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was due to start talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"All questions concerning the situation in Syria will be discussed at the forthcoming talks. We are somewhat confused about what the US administration has in mind when at different levels it recalls zones of security or zones of stability," TASS cited Ryabkov as saying.

"As a whole, the administration's stance with regard to Syria remains a mystery. Inconsistency is what comes to mind first of all," RIA news agency cited Rybakov as saying.

He recalled that Russia has already stated that the US missile strike on Syria’s air base is "an act of aggression and violation of international law".

"The attempts to steamroll the UN Security Council resolution are nothing else than a drive to legitimize the strike. If we speak about any resolution today, then we could probably consider an option of condemning the steps of the US, which violated the international law and committed an act of aggression," Ryabkov noted.