US blames Moscow for not keeping its end of ceasefire commitments, accusing it for bombing aid convoy; John Kerry said decision was not taken lightly
US State Secretary John Kerry gives a speech at The German Marshall Fund in Brussels on Tuesday. pic/AFP
Washington: International efforts to end the fighting in Syria have been dealt a serious blow, with the US suspending direct contacts with Russia on halting the war, and chilly relations are turning even frostier after Russia put a hold on a plutonium disposal deal with Washington.
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The two decisions, announced in their respective capitals just hours apart yesterday, were ostensibly unrelated but underscored deep mistrust and rising tensions between the former Cold War foes, who are increasingly at odds on a number of issues.
Yet their most immediate impact may be the potential death blow delivered to halting attempts to revive a moribund ceasefire in Syria, get desperately needed humanitarian aid to besieged communities and begin negotiations that could mean the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
The Obama administration said it decided to cut off discussions on Syria because Russia had not lived up to the terms of last month’s agreement to restore a tattered cease-fire and ensure sustained deliveries of humanitarian aid to besieged cities.
“What’s clear is that there is nothing more for the United States and Russia to talk about with regard to trying to reach an agreement that would reduce the violence inside of Syria and that’s tragic,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
“This is not a decision that was taken lightly,” explained Secretary of State John Kerry, who said in a speech at Brussels, “I want to be very, very clear to everybody, we are not giving up on the Syrian people, we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace, we are not going to leave the multilateral field, we are going to continue to try to find a way forward in order to end this war.”
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