Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that US actions in Syria were either a "deliberate provocation" or indicated Washington lacked an understanding of the situation there, RIA news agency quoted Lavrov as saying. Washington, which is backing the YPG in the battle against Islamic State in Syria, said on Sunday it was concerned about the situation. Russian officials are in contact with the Turkish leadership over Ankara's military operation against Kurdish YPG fighters in northern Syria's Afrin region, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Peskov, speaking on a conference call with reporters, declined to comment when asked if Moscow had known in advance about the operation. He said Russia continued to believe in the fundamental importance of Syria's territorial integrity.

Source: dna January 22, 2018 11:15 UTC