Support The Moscow Times!

U.S. Avoided Russia's 'Red Lines' in Syrian Airstrikes, Lavrov Claims

Sergei Lavrov Russian Foreign Mnistry

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that the U.S. military and its allies had avoided Russian “red lines” when conducting airstrikes against Syria last week.

The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles last week in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack by government forces on a rebel-held area near the capital. Prior to the expected attack, Russian General Valery Gerasimov warned that Russia’s military would target all missiles that threaten the lives of its servicemen, including the locations from which they are fired.

“They were notified about where our ‘red lines’ are located, including ‘red lines’ ‘on the ground’,” Lavrov was cited as saying by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency on Friday.

“The results [of the U.S. airstrikes] show that they did not cross these lines,” he added.

Lavrov also said that he was convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump would not allow an armed confrontation between their two countries, RIA reported.

Reuters contributed reporting to this article.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more