(FOX NEWS) After days of threats, the U.S. officially cut off negotiations with Russia over the Syrian civil war on Monday, the cessation of talks coming only hours after Russia backed out of a joint deal with the U.S. to dispose of nuclear material.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, State Department spokesperson John Kirby accused Russia of “intensified attacks against civilian areas” and being responsible for a Sept. 19 attack on a humanitarian aid convoy.
“This is not a decision that was taken lightly,” Kirby said in the statement. “The United States spared no effort in negotiating and attempting to implement an arrangement with Russia aimed at reducing violence, providing unhindered humanitarian access, and degrading terrorist organizations operating in Syria…Unfortunately, Russia failed to live up to its own commitments.”
