Russia says US airstrike on Syria damages prospects of peace settlement
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the airstrike that the United States launched at a Syrian military base earlier this month damages the prospects of a political settlement for the war-torn country. Lavrov told a security conference on Wednesday the attack as a pretext for a regime change in Syria and said the US response “pushes the prospect for a wide international front on terror even further away”. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier on Wednesday Russia had to boost security measures at its air base in Syria after the airstrike. Russia has provided an air cover for the government’s offensive on ISIL militants.