Kerry: 92 per cent of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal removed

US Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN television on Wednesday that 92 per cent of Syria’s chemical weapons had now been evacuated.

Speaking to the CNN programme New Day, Kerry defended his country’s policy regarding Syria, including the deal to remove Syria’s chemical weapons.

Facing a series of challenging questions, he explained that 92 per cent of Syria’s chemical weapons had now been removed and the other 8 per cent is under control, waiting to be removed.

He dismissed those US critics who would have preferred a one or two-day military strike to get rid of some, not all, of these weapons, which he said would have hurt the Assad regime only temporarily.

Speaking on the Ukrainian issue, Kerry rejected accusations that the US and NATO are heavily involved in Ukraine. He also suggested that the situation is now de-escalating, noting that while earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened to use military force in Ukraine, “those troops are now being withdrawn”.