The United States has criticised the Russian government as “morally bankrupt” after a plane travelling to Syria was seized by Turkish authorities, who claimed Russian military equipment was on board en route to the Syrian regime.
Speaking to reporters State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stated that the US had “grave concerns” that material was being supplied by Russia to aid besieged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help quell rebels in the country.
She told reporters,
"We have no doubt that this was serious military equipment,"
"There are no Security Council sanctions on Syria because Security Council members Russia and China continue to block them… Everybody else on the Security Council is doing what it can unilaterally to ensure that the Assad regime is not getting support from the outside."
"No responsible country ought to be aiding and abetting the war machine of the Assad regime and particularly those with responsibilities for global peace and security as U.N. Security Council members have."
She went on to comment that the shipment was "legally correct but the policy is still morally bankrupt."
