Moscow has dismissed US concern of a Russian military build-up in Syria. It says its military aid to Bashar al-Assad is nothing out of the ordinary.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says the Russian side has never concealed the fact it supplied military equipment to Syria authorities to help them fight terrorism. The subject was addressed when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke on the phone over the weekend.
Lavrov said Russia has repeatedly called on the international coalition to cooperate with Syrian authorities under the auspices of the UN Security Council. On Friday, President Vladmir Putin said it was premature to talk about Russia taking part in military operations in Syria.