Russia: US Being ‘Primitive and Loutish’ in Syrian Rhetoric

Diplomat Says US Stance on Syria Now 'A Mystery'

A week after the US attack on Syria, what exactly is the Trump Administration’s stance on Syria going forward? It’s not clear to anyone at this point, with even top Russian officials responding to a week of conflicting statements by saying the US stance is a “mystery.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the US rhetoric on Syria was “primitive and loutish,” and that he hoped that the rhetoric wasn’t an actual expression of US policy, though he added that the US statements were pretty inconsistent at any rate.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement expressing concern that Western nations, the US in particular, are trying to undo what progress has been made in peace talks brokered by Russia, Turkey,and Iran. This comment was made in the context of a Western-backed UN resolution condemning Syria, which Russia vetoed.

Russian officials are arguing that any resolution condemning anyone for chemical weapons strikes in Syria should come after an impartial international investigation into the matter, and complained that the US and other Western nations immediately decided who they intended to blame and aren’t interested in evidence that might contradict that.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.