Lavrov points to U.S. trace in the situation with militants in Syria

The Americans are "feeding" some Kurdish separatists in eastern Syria using profits from the sale of oil and grain. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson published on December 6.

"The rules of the game are to help Syrians come to an agreement with each other and prevent the strengthening of separatist threats. This is what the Americans are doing in eastern Syria, when they 'feed' some Kurdish separatists using profits from the sale of oil and grain - resources they enjoy," the minister said.

Commenting on the situation with the activation of militants in Syria, Lavrov noted that Russia, Turkey and Iran united and organized the Astana format to resolve the situation. The meetings are held regularly. For example, another meeting is planned before the end of this year or next year, the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Lavrov said he held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi after what happened in and around Aleppo.

"We agreed to try to meet this week. I hope it will be possible to meet in Doha on the margins of an international conference. We, as foreign ministers, would like to discuss the situation. I hope to be able to do that this coming Friday. The military and security officials of all three countries are in contact with each other," he added.

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Earlier, on December 5, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was in contact with the Syrian authorities on the worsening situation in the country. He added that depending on the assessment of the situation, it would be possible to understand what kind of assistance the Syrian authorities need to cope with the terrorist threat.

Also on that day, the deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Enemy Parties in Syria, Captain First Rank Oleg Ignasyuk, said that the Syrian army together with the Russian Air and Space Forces (VKS) had struck at places of accumulation, hideouts and control points of militants, destroying at least 300 terrorists.

The day before, on December 4, Ignasyuk said that the Russian and Syrian Air Forces launched missile and bomb strikes on militants' control points and hideouts, destroying up to 120 terrorists.

On the same day, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that Russia strongly condemns the sortie in Syria by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists (the organization is recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia). The Permanent Representative drew attention to the fact that the US and its allies are supporting the militants in order to "sow chaos in Syria." Nebenzya recalled that the Russian Armed Forces are operating in Syria at the request of the legitimate authorities in Damascus and are fighting back against terrorists.

Before that, on November 29, the Syrian army eliminated hundreds of terrorists in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The Armed Forces of the Arab Republic continued the offensive against all points where the militants had entrenched themselves, and from part of the positions radical Islamists managed to dislodge.

The Syrian Ministry reported on November 28 that terrorist groups launched a major attack in Aleppo and Idlib, and the Syrian Army began to repel it, inflicting serious damage to the militants' equipment and manpower.