Moscow fears US-Russia clash as Trump promises decision on Syria strike ‘soon’
The Kremlin said a crisis communication link with the United States, created to avoid an accidental confrontation over Syria, was in use
Russia’s UN ambassador warned of a possible war with America on Thursday as US President Donald Trump held meetings with his staff to discuss action on Syria, which he has threatened to hit with missile strikes after a suspected poison gas attack on civilians in the city of Douma.
As Trump said a decision would come “soon”, UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia urged the US and its allies to refrain from military action against Syria, saying the “immediate priority is to avert the danger of war”.
Asked if he was referring to a war between the United States and Russia, he told reporters: “We cannot exclude any possibilities, unfortunately, because we saw messages that are coming from Washington. They were very bellicose.”
“They know we are there, I wish there was dialect [sic] though the proper channels on this to avert any dangerous developments,” Nebenzia added. “The danger of escalation is higher than simply Syria because our military are there … So the situation is very dangerous.”
Fears of confrontation between Russia, Syria’s major ally, and the West have been running high since Trump said on Wednesday that missiles “will be coming” in response to the attack in the Syrian town of Douma on April 7, and lambasted Moscow for standing by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.