Russia: U.S. Coordinates Weapon Deliveries to Syria Rebels

Russia accused Washington on Thursday of "coordinating" deliveries of arms to Syrian rebels, despite assurances by the State Department that the United States provides no lethal assistance.

"Washington is aware of the deliveries of various weapons to illegal armed groups active in Syria. Moreover, judging by the declarations of U.S. officials published in U.S. media, the U.S. coordinates and provides logistical assistance in such deliveries," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland dismissed the allegation.

"We've been very clear that we are not providing any lethal assistance ourselves," Nuland told reporters in Washington.

"We've been also clear that we are coordinating and talking with countries around the world that are supporting the opposition, including those who have made other choices than the ones that we have made, and that one of the things that we are working on, all of us, is to try to ensure that any support we give to the opposition is not going to extremists."

"The implication that we are coordinating the shipment of other people's weapons is ludicrous," she said.

Russia's top general Nikolai Makarov on Wednesday said rebels fighting against Bashar Assad's army in Syria are using U.S.-made Stingers, a type of shoulder-launched missile systems also known as MANPADs.

Nuland earlier said the only MANPADs sighted in Syria were "Soviet vintage".

In its statement, the Russian foreign ministry acknowledged that "the U.S. does not deliver MANPADs to the rebels" directly, and did not specify how the alleged logistical assistance is carried out.

Makarov said Russia did not yet know who was bringing the Stingers into Syria, adding it was possible these and other weapons could have been delivered from abroad on several means of transport, including passenger jets.

"For this, all kinds of transport could be activated, including civil aviation. This is a serious matter," he said.

Russia is under sustained pressure from the West, Turkey and Assad's foes in the Arab world to cut its military cooperation with the Syrian regime.

President Vladimir Putin last week defended Russia's right to trade weapons with whoever it wanted, so long as sales did not break any sanctions from the U.N. Security Council where Moscow has a permanent, veto-wielding seat.

"In all other cases, no one can on any pretext dictate to Russia or any other state with whom and how it should trade," Putin said.

Moscow has refused to take sides against Assad, condemning the West and Turkey for making clear their support for the rebels battling his regime.