Russian Federation tensions over Syria will not ‘spiral out of control’ – Mattis

A meeting of G7 foreign ministers rejected a British plan to impose targeted sanctions on military personnel in Russian Federation and Syria who had been “contaminated by the appalling actions of the Assad regime”.

Last week’s chemical attack in Syria and Russia’s support for the Assad regime are the main items on the agenda of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Italy today.

On Monday, Col. John J. Thomas, a US military spokesman, said the USA has taken extra defensive precautions in Syria in case of possible retaliation against American forces for the cruise missile attack.

Russian Federation and Iran have been helping the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against rebels supported by various other countries, including the US.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, who hosted the G-7 gathering, said “there is no consensus for further new sanctions”.

Ryabkov’s remarks were released minutes before US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the highest level representative of the Trump administration to visit Russia, was due to start talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. According to a statement issued by Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Lavrov said United States statements that the Syrian government used chemical weapons “do not correspond with reality”.

“Countries that have been supportive of the Assad regime bear some of the responsibility for the chemical attacks on civilians”, Trudeau said.

“The Syrian government would be ill-advised ever again to use chemical weapons”, he added.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the U.S. and Russian Federation have common interest in defeating the Islamic State militant group.

Coughing, choking, foaming at the mouth, scores of panicked Syrians died in a recent chemical weapons strike.

Spicer said Trump has made it clear that if the administration can “get a deal with Russian Federation in our national interest. then we’re going to do it”.

“Secretary Tillerson’s visit to Moscow before our military action in Syria was already heavy-laden with issues, including Crimea, Ukraine, all different types of issues on the agenda”, former U.S. ambassador to Syria Edward Djerejian told CNN.

Officially announcing the strike, US President Donald Trump claimed that the targeted airfield had launched the chemical attack on the rebel-held area in Idlib.

Trump used the same argument in December, when the intelligence community issued its official assessment that Russian Federation interfered with the US election.

Successive attempts by top Trump administration officials to articulate a plan have only furthered the appearance of a policy still evolving.

A key focus since the chemical attack has been on increasing pressure on Russia, Assad’s strongest ally, which has used its own military to prop up Assad in Syria.

Instead of sanctions, the meeting’s final communique called for an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to determine who was responsible for the “war crime”.

Downing Street said both May and Trump were looking to Tillerson’s trip to Moscow this week as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a “lasting political settlement”. “First and foremost, we must defeat ISIS”.