Kerry in leaked audio: 'I lost the argument'
US suspends talks with Russia over Syria
Story highlights
- US suspends bilateral talks with Russia over Syria after US accuses Russia of failing to uphold ceasefire
- US personnel intended to cooperate with Russia as part of a joint effort against ISIS and al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate will now be withdrawn
- The same day Moscow announced that it would suspend a US-Russia agreement on cooperation on arms reduction
Washington (CNN)The
US announced Monday it is "suspending its participation in bilateral
channels with Russia" that had come about as part of the short-lived
cessation of hostilities in Syria.
"This
is not a decision that was taken lightly," State Department spokesman
John Kirby said in a statement announcing the suspension.
"Everybody's
patience with Russia has run out," White House Press Secretary Josh
Earnest told reporters Monday while addressing the decision.
Earnest
said Russia had lost credibility by "making a series of commitments
without any indication they were committed to following them," accusing
Russia and its Syrian regime allies of trying "to bomb civilian
populations into submission."
Secretary
of State John Kerry last week had threatened to call off bilateral
talks with Russia unless Moscow took immediate steps to end the assault
on Aleppo and restore a ceasefire.
The
statement added that the Russian and the Syrian regime's unwillingness
to uphold the cease-fire accord was "demonstrated by their intensified
attacks against civilian areas, targeting of critical infrastructure
such as hospitals, and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching
civilians in need."
US military and
civilian personnel that were send to Geneva, Switzerland, to work with
the Russians on the Joint Implementation Center will now be withdrawn
home, according to the statement and US defense officials.
The
Joint Implementation Center was a key element of the negotiated accord
and was intended to facilitate collaboration between the American and
Russian militaries in targeting ISIS and al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate,
the al Nusra front. The center was never launched because the agreement
had required that the cease-fire hold and aid deliveries must be allowed
for at least seven days prior to the center's starting work.
Officials
said the US and Russia will continue to communicate via previously
established direct military-to-military channels as part of a safety
effort to "de-conflict" Syrian airspace and allow for coalition and
Russian warplanes to avoid dangerous accidental incidents.
State
Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters Monday that US
and Russian officials had met through the weekend to discuss Syria. The
suspension "does not preclude multi-lateral dialogue" with Russia
regarding Syria, Trudeau added.
When asked if the US had lived up to its end of the cease-fire deal, Trudeau said, "We believe we did."
For
its part, Moscow announced Monday that it was suspending an arms
reduction agreement with the US in which both countries agreed to
dispose of 34 tons of plutonium, enough for thousands of nuclear bombs,
over what it called Washington's "unfriendly actions" toward Russia,
state news agency TASS reported.
In
a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website,
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: "The decision we have made is a
signal to Washington: attempts at talking to Russia from the position of
strength, in a language of sanctions and ultimatums while continuing
selective cooperation with our country ... where this cooperation
benefits the United States will not succeed."
Asked
if the Russian announcement was linked to the recent US decision
regarding the suspension of bilateral Syria talks, Trudeau said, "I
would not link those at all."
"We believe it would be a shame if this important agreement was put aside because of an unrelated issue," she added.
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