April 12, 2018

U.S.-led military strikes in retaliation for the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons against a Damascus suburb last weekend remained a distinct possibility, but there were indications that efforts to head off a confrontation between global powers were gathering momentum.

In Moscow, the Kremlin sought to tamp down fears of a conflict with the United States by signaling for the first time in days that it might not carry out threats to retaliate against a U.S. strike.

“We still believe that it is very necessary to avoid any steps which can trigger an escalation in tensions in Syria,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We believe that this could have a very destructive impact on the entire Syrian settlement.”

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/russia-seeks-to-allay-fears-of-open-conflict-with-the-us-over-syria/2018/04/12/2d2407c4-3e38-11e8-8d53-eba0ed2371cc_story.html?utm_term=.24dd3ff6b87d