U.S. urges Russia not to deliver S-300 missiles to Syria

The Obama administration has urged Russia not to disrupt the peace talks and not to upset the balance of power between Israel and its neighbors by supplying the Syrian regime with modern anti-aircraft missiles.

Sending S-300 systems to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will prolong the civil war, and possibly expand its scope, becoming a threat to Israel, the Secretary of State, John Kerry, said.

This statement is the most critical of all concerning the sale of Russian weapons to Syria, and does not correspond to the warm tone of cooperation that Kerry and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, demonstrated during their meeting in Paris.

The U.S. supports the opposition, while Russia has been a long-standing ally and arms supplier to Assad. While Assad has long wanted to get the S-300 missiles, Russia would send far less deadly types of weapons, writes "The Washington Post".

Kerry said earlier that the U.S. and Russia have a common goal to stop the war and prevent the fall of Syria and the rise of extremism. But his comments suggest suspicion that Russia can play a double game.

"In Geneva, we will see who is serious," Kerry said.