US concerned by Russia's transfer of weapons to Syria
Deputy National Security Adviser, Ben Rhodes, stated that the White House is concerned by recent information indicating that Russia is transferring more weapons into Syria.
“We are concerned that Russia is transferring military equipment into Syria,” Voice of America reported, citing the statement of Obama’s Deputy Adviser at the press conference in Riyadh.
According to Rhodes, on March 14th, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a public statement regarding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria. Rhodes noted that in a recent phone conversation with Russia, President Barak Obama stated that Moscow “should focus its efforts on the diplomatic process, maintenance of the ceasefire and working with the Syrian Government; and that they should take the negotiation process seriously as well as the political transformation."
According to American media, a few weeks after the announcement of the reduction of their military presence in Syria, Russia transferred more artillery into the country.
A representative of The Wall Street Journal reported that American intelligence has started noticing the movement of the Russian Armed Forces near Aleppo in the North of Syria and in Latakia two weeks ago. In recent days, such movements of Russian equipment have increased and this makes the U.S.A. worry about Moscow’s intentions.
The U.S.A. has information that some of the artillery vehicles recently transferred were used to support the Syrian Government forces, especially in fights against the terrorist organization Al-Nusra.