Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, stated on Thursday the US pursues a policy of threats by warning Russia that it would pull out of existing arrangements on Syria.

“The United States pursues a policy of threats by warning Russia that it would pull out of existing arrangements on Syria,” Ryabkov said.

“It is a policy of threats and blackmail aiming to impose decisions favorable to the US and its clients,” Ryabkov told RIA Novosti.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the US is prepared to suspend bilateral engagement with Russia in Syria unless Moscow takes immediate steps to end Syrian operations in the city of Aleppo and reinstate a ceasefire, according to the State Department.

“It is impossible to reach a settlement and stabilization on this basis. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. We have our own approaches and our own principles,” Ryabkov reaffirmed.

Fighting in Aleppo intensified last week after the Syrian army declared an end to the week-long US-Russian brokered ceasefire, blaming militants for numerous violations that made the cessation of hostilities unfeasible.

Source: Sputnik