John Kerry says US will continue efforts to end conflict in Syria

US secretary of state John Kerry vowed to continue efforts to end Syria's civil war, despite Washington's decision to suspend ceasefire talks with Russia.

Speaking at an event hosted by the German Marshall Fund in Brussels yesterday, Mr Kerry lambasted Russia over its "irresponsible and profoundly ill-advised" support for President Bashar al-Assad, accusing Moscow of turning a blind eye to the Syrian regime's use of arms.

“Russia has turned a blind eye to Assad’s deplorable use of chlorine gas and barrel bombs against his people,” he said. “Together, the Syrian regime and Russia have rejected diplomacy, and seem to have chosen instead to continue their pursuit of a military victory over the broken bodies, bombed-out hospitals and traumatised children of a long-suffering land.”

Mr Kerry, who was due to address a gathering of diplomats and officials in the Concert Noble in central Brussels on transatlantic relations, was speaking hours after Washington announced it was suspending all talks with Moscow, three weeks after a ceasefire entered into force.

"This is not a decision that was taken lightly," the state department said as it confirmed that it would stop bilateral discussions with Moscow on Syria.

Pounding Aleppo

The breakdown in talks has increased fears that a solution to the 5½-year conflict will remain elusive. Rebel forces said yesterday that they had repelled an offensive by the Syrian regime, as Russian and Syrian warplanes continued to pound Aleppo.

Mr Kerry, who has faced criticism from some Republicans and members of his own party for his decision to embark on direct negotiations with Russia on Syria, said the US would continue its efforts in the region.

“We are not giving up on the Syrian people and we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace,” he said. “We will continue to pursue a meaningful, sustainable, enforceable cessation of hostilities throughout the country – and that includes the grounding of Syrian and Russian combat aircraft in designated areas.”

The announcement by Washington that it will cease bilateral negotiations with Russia was made hours after Russia announced it was suspending an agreement with the US on the disposing of plutonium, in a sign of deepening tensions between the two sides.

Isis territory

Underlining America’s continued commitment to fighting the Islamic State in Syria, Mr Kerry said yesterday that the US-led coalition had already succeeded in liberating much of the territory controlled by Isis. Noting that the coalition now comprised 67 members, he said that “every single

Nato

ally and every member of the EU is contributing to our campaign to defeat Daesh [Isis].”

“We have not only taken back territories, we have killed many of its leaders, we have choked its finances. We have disrupted its supply lines, we’ve hammered its oil facilities and we have reduced its recruitment to a trickle,” he said.

While the coalition will “prevail in our confrontation with Daesh”, he said that work remained to be done, particularly in trying to counter the narrative of Islamic terrorism.

Urging the European Parliament to endorse contentious data-protection legislation that has been resisted by some EU member states amid concern about data privacy, Mr Kerry highlighted the role of intelligence and data-gathering in the fight against terrorism.

“We have to rebut the false narrative that tries to lure young people into the abyss of terror,” he said, referring to the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris over the past year.

EU and UK

Mr Kerry also referenced Britain’s decision to leave the

European Union

, urging both sides to pursue a “highly integrated, collaborative relationship”.

“Some may wish the UK vote had gone the other way. The lesson we need to take is not that we need less Europe, or less UK, rather we need more of both.”