Russia continues to cooperate with the US on Syria, but this cooperation, as well as the general relations between the countries, is on a "low, explosive level", Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian President's Special Representative for Syria, said in an interview with TASS.
"You yourself know the level of relations between Russia and the US, what a low level they are at now, quite explosive. This also applies to interaction on Syria, but it continues," he said.
According to Lavrentiev, Russia cannot ignore the fact of the American presence in Syria. "We have contacts with the American side, and we discuss various aspects of a Syrian settlement, but our goal is to make sure that the Americans understand that sooner or later they will have to leave Syria. Their withdrawal should not be accompanied by the situation that has developed in Afghanistan, which may cause tectonic shifts," he said.
Earlier, Russia and Syria called on the US to lift sanctions pressure to resolve the situation in Syria. A statement to that effect was issued following a meeting of interdepartmental coordination headquarters of the two countries on the return of refugees.
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Photo: Evgeny Biyatov / POOL / TASS
Based on materials from TASS