US threatens to suspend work with Russia.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is threatening to end US engagement with Russia in Syria unless Russia takes “immediate steps” to end the assault on Aleppo.
Kerry has told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the US holds Russia responsible for the situation in Aleppo amid attacks on civilians by the Syrian regime.
“He informed the foreign minister that the United States is making preparations to suspend US-Russia bilateral engagement on Syria … unless Russia takes immediate steps to end the assault on Aleppo and restore the cessation of hostilities,” spokesman John Kirby says. Full Story
US Suspends Nuclear Pact With Russia.
The move would start a six-month countdown that could lead to permanent U.S. withdrawal from the 1987 arms control accord, which bans either side from stationing short- and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe, the officials said.
However, Washington could choose not to pull out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), if Russia complies with the treaty within that time frame.
The United States alleges that a new Russian cruise missile violates the pact. The Novator 9M729 missile is known as the SSC-8 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Russia denies the allegation, saying the missile’s range puts it outside the treaty and has accused the United States of inventing a false pretext to exit a treaty Washington wants to leave anyway so it can develop new missiles. Russia has also rejected a U.S. demand to destroy the new rocket. Full Story
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