US suspends talks with Russia over Syria

The US announced Monday it is "suspending its participation in bilateral channels with Russia" that had come about as part of the short-lived cessation of hostilities in Syria, the CNN reported.

"This is not a decision that was taken lightly," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement announcing the suspension.

"Everybody's patience with Russia has run out," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Monday while addressing the decision.

Earnest said Russia had lost credibility by "making a series of commitments without any indication they were committed to following them," accusing Russia and its Syrian regime allies of trying "to bomb civilian populations into submission."

Secretary of State John Kerry last week had threatened to call off bilateral talks with Russia unless Moscow took immediate steps to end the assault on Aleppo and restore a ceasefire.

For its part, Moscow announced Monday that it was suspending an arms reduction agreement with the US in which both countries agreed to dispose of 34 tons of plutonium, enough for thousands of nuclear bombs, over what it called Washington's "unfriendly actions" toward Russia, state news agency TASS reported.

In a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: "The decision we have made is a signal to Washington: attempts at talking to Russia from the position of strength, in a language of sanctions and ultimatums while continuing selective cooperation with our country ... where this cooperation benefits the United States will not succeed."

Source: MENA