ISIL Has Access to Chemical Weapons
Maria Zakharova said that Nusra Front and ISIL terrorists continued to receive large batches of weapons and ammunition from unknown donors.
"We note that ISIL and Nusra Front militants still receive large batches of arms and ammunition… As we can see, the issue concerning these groups' sources of supply, constantly raised by Russia, remains open."
Answering a question on Saudi Arabia's arms supplies to so-called moderate rebels in Syria, Maria Zakharova said that it was illegal to provide arms to non-governmental organizations.
ISIL and other radical groups have access to chemical weapons in the Middle East, Zakharova said.
"According to numerous reports, ISIL and some other radical Islamist groups, which are prohibited in Russia, have got access to components and technology for the production of chemical weapons in the Middle East… and have begun to use them more actively in Syria and Iraq."
Vienna Talks on Syrian Settlement
"No one had discussed this with us earlier, we’re saying that we weren’t contacted in regard to this issue, we didn’t discuss preliminary plans on the topics of the groups, the time, the venue, not even the level or character of the representatives or the character of the participants."
Representatives of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and the European Union were not invited to the working groups on the Syrian reconciliation, Zakharova said.
"We consider the United States’ actions in forming working groups to be an unsuccessful experiment," Zakharova said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Reuters of publishing a fake report on Moscow's alleged proposals on the Syrian crisis settlement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will participate in the Syrian talks in Vienna slated for November 14, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
The spokeswoman also praised the United Nations' role in the Syrian reconciliation.
Moscow Strikes Back at Carter Over Accusations of Sabre-Rattling
The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said that US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter's claims of Russia's alleged sabre-rattling were "far from reality."
Earlier this week, Ashton Carter accused Russia of “challenging the world order.”
"Recently, US Secretary of Defense Carter accused Russia of saber-rattling and undermining global stability. These statements are far from reality. We categorically reject such accusations against us."
Russia strengthens its defense capabilities due to US' actions, including the deployment of missile defense systems to Europe, Zakharova said.
"What Russia is doing in the sphere of strengthening its defense capabilities is largely due to US actions, including the development of the American nuclear arsenal, the deployment of the global missile defense system allegedly aimed at achieving strategic parity, and the movement of NATO infrastructure toward Russia's borders. We certainly cannot remain indifferent or ignore attempts to weaken our security," she added.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern over the creation of a US-designed ballistic missile defense system in Europe approved during a NATO summit in 2010. A group of European countries, including Poland, Romania, Spain and Turkey, agreed to deploy elements of the system on their soil.
