Russia: US coordinated seizure of Palmyra and peace talks at ‘dead-end’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks with the United States on Syria were at a dead end.  His remarks were made during a visit to Belgrade when he also alleged that Daesh’s advance to Palmyra may have been staged by the US and its allies to allow Syrian rebels in Aleppo a respite.

Lavrov also said that Russia was ready to negotiate with the US over the opening of corridors for the pull-out of opposition fighters from Aleppo, but added these would have to be agreed before any ceasefire happened.

According to Lavrov, Washington had gone back on a deal on Syria saying: “Our American colleagues do, so to speak, agree with that, and from 3 December when we met John Kerry in Rome they supported such a concept and even gave us their approval on paper,” Lavrov told reporters at a news conference with his Serbian counterpart yesterday.

“But after three days they revoked that agreement and returned to their old, dead-end position which comprises this: Before the agreement on corridors there has to be a truce…as I understand, this would just mean the rebels would get a break,” Reuters reported him as saying.

Lavrov also said he believed that Daesh’s seizure of Palmyra might have been engineered by the US-led coalition to divert attention from Aleppo.

“That leads us to a thought – and I am sincerely hoping I am wrong – that this is all orchestrated, coordinated to give a break to those bandits that are in eastern Aleppo,” he concluded.