MOSCOW urged the United States today to abandon plans for a military strike against Syrian government forces.

“We’ve warned and warned the US that these plans must be unconditionally refused,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

“Any such unlawful use of force, similar to what happened almost a year ago at the Shairat air base, would be an act of aggression against a sovereign state, as defined by the relevant article of the UN Charter.”