Russian moves in Syria 'dangerous': US

Kerry says answer to Syrian civil war cannot be found in military alliance with Assad, rather through diplomacy

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New York: Concerned over reports Russia hitting non-Daesh targets in Syria, the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers spoke by telephone on Wednesday.

The United States regards recent Russia's actions in Syria as "dangerous", a U.S. official told Reuters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there have been no U.S.-Russia "deconfliction" talks, referring to technical discussions under which militaries operating in the same theater seek to avoid inadvertently coming into conflict.

Kerry said U.S. air strikes in Syria will continue and Washington would have "grave concerns" if Russia hit Syrian targets where Daesh fighters were not present.

Speaking at the U.N. Security Council, Kerry also said the militant group, which is also known as Isil and Isil, "cannot be defeated as long as Bashar al-Assad remains president of Syria."

During their phone conversation, the US Secretary of State complained to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Kerry told Lavrov that the Russian move "runs counter to their stated efforts of deconfliction and is not helpful to that effort."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague during their joint news conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
United States senator John Kerry
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laugh during their meeting at Villa Taverna in Rome December 14, 2014.

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