MOSCOW — Following a U.S. missile strike against Syrian government forces, Russia has suspended a key agreement on the air operations to minimize the risk of in-flight incidents between U.S. and Russian aircraft operating over Syria, international media reported.
The suspension of the memoradum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2015 on the air operations immediately broke out tensions in the skies over Syria.
Condemning the U.S. strike, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said the attack would lead to a hostile situation between aerial assets of the U.S.-led coalition and Russia.
He said that risk has “significantly increased” for confrontation between two countries after President Trump ordered the launch of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base after a chemical attack that killed numbers of Syrians including children.
Later Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it has officially informed the United States that it is suspending its obligations under the memorandum at midnight.
Under the accord, the two countries have exchanged information about flights by a U.S.-led coalition targeting the Islamic State and Russian planes operating in Syria in favour of the Assad government. Moscow was suspending the accord, the Defense Ministry said, because it sees the U.S. strike “as a grave violation of the memorandum.”
