WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the possible refusal of the United States to cooperate with Russia on the Syrian crisis settlement will become the best present for terrorists operating in the Arab republic.
"There are many outside patrons and we've urged some restraint over the years, but I think it is going to be difficult to restrain the outside supporters of various groups in Syria from doing more," Blinken said on Thursday, when asked if Washington was considering arming Syrian factions if the joint deal falls apart.
Moscow has repeatedly called on Washington to delineate terror groups and moderate opposition armed forces in Syria and warned about the dangerous consequences of providing weapons to Syrian factions.
Last week, the United States and Russia failed to resurrect the Syrian ceasefire amid a military siege of Aleppo, inadequate humanitarian access, and US inability to disentangle moderate rebels from the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.
The prospects for a diplomatic solution in Syria faced new challenges on Wednesday, when US Secretary of State John Kerry informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of his intent to end US-Russian bilateral engagement in Syria if Moscow did not take immediate steps to reinstate the failed ceasefire.
