Russia threatens Washington to 'STOP getting in the way' in Syria amid escalating tensions

A spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said US military tactics were hampering Russia’s efforts in the Middle East.

The US State Department recently urged countries not to provide support to Russian tankers shipping fuel to Aerospace Forces in Syria.

When asked about the US position on helping Russia, he added: “Such statements, unfortunately, only confirm our earlier estimates that fighting terrorism in Syria has never been on the outgoing administration's agenda.”

He believes the US decision to hamper Russia’s anti-terrorism fight in Syria was made in order to “somehow downplay the failures of US policies in the country since



2014”.

Konashenkov praised Russia’s achievements in Syria during the past year after 2,000 settlements joined the ceasefire, 86 armed groups put down their weapons and thousands of Syrians were able to return to the country.

Relations between the US and Russia have suffered in recent years with US President Obama and Vladimir Putin repeatedly clashing over their respective foreign policies.

Russia recently accused the US of spreading “flagrant lies” about airstrikes in Syria following a steady decline in relations between the two powers.

However, the landmark victory for President-elect Trump in the US election has brought fresh hope that relations between the two countries can be restored.