Russia’s Ambassador to the United States warned the White House on Friday that military strikes against its ally ‘will not be left without consequences’ after President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of a multiple targets in Syria.
‘The worst apprehensions have come true. Our warnings have been left unheard.A pre-designed scenario is being implemented,’ Russian envoy Anatoly Antonov said in a statement.
‘Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences. All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris.’
‘Insulting the President of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible,’ the ambassador continued. ‘The U.S. – the possessor of the biggest arsenal of chemical weapons – has no moral right to blame other countries,’ he added.
The statement from Antonov was issued just minutes after the President directed a potion of his remarks towards Russian President Vladimir Putin while delivering an address to the American people announcing the military action against Damascus.
‘In 2013 President Putin and his government promised the world they would guarantee the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons,’ Trump said in a televised address from the White House.
‘Assad’s recent attack and today’s response are the direct result of Russia’s failure to keep that promise. Russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path or if it will join with civilized nations as a force for stability and peace,’ the President continued.
‘These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,’ Trump added, referring to the Syrian regime leader and his role in the chemical weapons attacks.
Following the President’s speech, US officials said attacks could continue beyond tonight, with a senior administration figure saying ‘this isn’t over.’
‘What you’ve seen tonight is not the end of the US response,’ the senior administration official said.
Trump issued the statement while speaking to the American people from the White House on Friday
‘These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,’ Trump said referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and his role in recent chemical weapons attacks (Pictured right: Russian President Vladimir Putin)
‘They have built a lot of flexibility into the plan to allow for further strikes based on what they’ve hit tonight.’
A US official said a big concern is how much more sophisticated Russia’s capabilities are now compared to last year.
The source says they are ‘significantly enhanced’ in terms of anti-strike and anti-aircraft capabilities.
Part of the calculation this week has also been gaming out how Russia will respond either in the region or around the world.
‘We are watching what Russians do in the next 24 hours,’ the official said.
Trump’s comments directed at the Russian leader marks the strongest rhetoric employed by the President since taking office last January.
Critics have repeatedly accused the commander-in-chief of being to
Following the President’s speech, US officials said attacks could continue beyond tonight, with a senior administration figure saying ‘this isn’t over’ (Pictured: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis)