Russia rejects US warning about chemical weapons attack in Syria

The statement came after the US warned of the possibility of a chemical weapons attack in Syria similar to the attack last April.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on June 27 that the Trump administration had warned Syria about the possibility of a chemical weapons attack after detecting preparations similar to the attack last April.

US Tomahawk missiles hit a Syrian military base in response to a chemical attack in Idlib in April. Photo: AP

Speaking at a hearing before the House of Representatives, Ms. Haley said the US intended to warn not only the Syrian government but also Russia and Iran, the two countries that are supporting the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“The White House has issued this warning, and I think it is accurate,” Ambassador Haley said. “This warning is not only a message to President al-Assad, but also to Russia and Iran. If a chemical weapons attack happens again, the United States has had a warning. I hope that this warning will make Russia and Iran pay attention. It also shows that the United States does not want to see children and innocent people killed.”

On the same day, Russian lawmakers rejected the US warning. The head of the Russian Senate's Foreign Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev, said that the US warning about the possibility of the Syrian government carrying out a chemical weapons attack was a "provocation" and a pretext for attacks on the Syrian army. Mr. Kosachev stressed that if the US knew about the chemical weapons attack, why did it not prevent it and then blame the Syrian government?

Chairman of the Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky also said that the US warning was "baseless and provocative".

Meanwhile, the Russian government has denied the possibility of a new chemical weapons attack in Syria.

In early April, a suspected chemical attack occurred in Syria's Idlib province, killing at least 86 people, including many children.

The US accused the Syrian government army of being behind the attack and responded with a Tomahawk missile strike on a Syrian army base. A fierce argument broke out between Russia and the West after the attack. Russia affirmed that the chemical attack was "unacceptable", however, the US's conclusions that the Syrian government was behind the attack were baseless./.

According to VOV