Moscow warns Washington not to use force against Bashar al-Assad
THE downing of a Syrian government warplane by the United States is a step toward a dangerous escalation, and Moscow is warning Washington not to use force against Syrian government troops, a senior Russian diplomat told Interfax news agency today.
A military vehicle of Syrian Democratic Forces in Raqqa, Syria on June 18
The American warplane shot down a Syrian army jet yesterday in the southern Raqqa countryside, with Washington saying the jet had dropped bombs near US-backed forces and Damascus saying the plane was downed while flying a mission against Islamic State militants.
Abandoned tanks at destroyed ISIS outpost near Raqqa
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also told the agency that a set of new US sanctions that can be imposed on Russia will lead Moscow to retaliate.
Ryabkov said that he and US Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon would meet in St Petersburg on June 23 to discuss problems in bilateral ties, Interfax reported.