MOSCOW. Feb 26 (Interfax) - Russia is receiving unconfirmed intelligence indicating that the United States is not planning to leave Syria and is seeking to break up the country, and Moscow is determined to discuss this intelligence with Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We've heard different kinds of information from various sources lately; we can't verify it so far and want to ask the Americans directly - it's been alleged that they've decided never to leave Syria, up to the point of the country's breakup," Lavrov said at a press conference on Friday.
"We have communication channels with the Americans, it's about deconfliction at the military level, they are present there, it's a reality, and deconfliction is essential to avoid clashes, but it's very important for us to resume contacts at the political-diplomatic level, and we hope the new administration will put together teams for this purpose soon enough," he said.
Russia deems it "very important to understand how the United States is going to pursue its strategic line on the ground and in the region as a whole," he said.