Trump would ‘like to think’ Russia didn’t know about chemical attack in Syria
US President Donald Trump is toning down his administration’s anti-Russia rhetoric in the wake of a chemical attack, blamed on Moscow’s ally, the Syrian government.
After baseless claims that Russia had prior knowledge of the attack , Trump reappeared Wednesday to assert that the allegation is "unlikely."
“I’d like to think that they didn’t,” said the president at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. “But certainly they could’ve.”
US warships deployed to the eastern Mediterranean launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against Shayrat Airfield, southeast of the western Syrian city of Homs, on Friday. Washington, without providing any evidence, alleged that the attack came in response to a chemical attack by the Syrian government in Khan Shaykhun.
The American commander in chief defended the decision to launch the missile attack, stating that “I have absolutely no doubt we did the right thing.”
Damascus and Moscow have both suggested that the chemical attack was a “false-flag” one, launched in an attempt to criminalize Syrian President Bashar al- Assad.
‘All-time low’ in Russia ties
Trump, who has been accused of appealing to Russia since he started campaigning for the 2016 presidential election, noted that following the allegations ties with Kremlin is in tatters.
“Right now, we’re not getting along with Russia at all,” Trump said. “We may be at an all-time low in terms of relationship with Russia. It’s been building for a long time. But we’ll see what happens.”
The Republican president made the comments after his secretary state, Rex Tillerson, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the capital Moscow.
Thousands of miles away in New York, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Vladimir Safronkov vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, sponsored by the UK, France, and the US, condemning the Syrian government for the suspected chemical weapons attack.
According to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, Damascus did not and would not use chemical arms even against terror outfits.
Despite the US missile attack, the Trump administration maintains that tackling the Daesh terror group is on top of the agenda rather than taking on Assad.
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