Pentagon's statements about Russia's military personnel obstructing Washington's efforts to combat terrorism in Syria go "beyond the bounds of decency" as the US military violates flight safety rules in the Syrian air space daily, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Thursday.
"We believe that such remarks, that are sometimes beyond the bounds of decency, on highly professional actions of the Russian military personnel in Syria are devoid of common sense. They divert attention from the fact that Americans themselves on a daily basis violate flight safety rules in the Syrian air space," Antonov said in a statement to media, published by the Russian Embassy in Washington on Telegram.
The ambassador noted that the US military personnel, unlike Russia's forces, "are deployed in the Arab Republic contrary to international law," adding that "in essence, they occupy the specific regions, masking their actions with the necessity to carry out counter-terrorism tasks."
"The United States policy on Syria is undoubtedly deeply disruptive. Not only does it hinder the stabilization of the situation as well as restoration of the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, but also it has negative implications for the whole Middle East," the ambassador said.