Russia has denied accusations it’s bombing civilians in Syria, insisting it is protecting itself from militants in the Middle East nation.
“There is no evidence of our bombarding civilians even though everyone is accusing us,” Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the security conference Saturday in Munich, Germany.
Medvedev defended Russia’s military action in Syria, saying it was aimed at protecting national interests and quashing militants.
The Russian Prime Minister’s comments came after his French counterpart, Manuel Valls, warned Moscow that to acquire peace in Syria, it must stop bombing civilians.
“We need to have peace, we need to have negotiations, and for that, we need to stop bombings against civilians”, Valls said during his speech in Munich.
Russia has carried out airstrikes in support of Syrian government forces battling for Aleppo.
War of words
As battles continue to rage around the embattled Syrian city, so has the war of words between Russia and the United States.
The defense ministry for Russia turned the tables Thursday with accusations against the United States.
Defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov accused the U.S. of dropping bombs on Aleppo on Wednesday.
This back-and-forth among the West over Syria is hardly new. While they claim to have the same military mission — to combat terrorists, specifically ISIS — Moscow has been at odds with others over tactics and targets.
The United States and its allies have characterized Russia as a major part of the problem in Aleppo, blaming it for cutting off the city from desperately needed food and aid.