But Sergei Ivanov also reiterated Russia’s long-standing opposition to western military intervention in Syria, saying that such action would only aid militants linked to Al Qaeda.

“In the event of external military interference the opposition … would entirely lose interest in negotiations, considering that the U.S. would bomb the regime to its foundations as in Libya, giving them an easy path to victory,” Ivanov said in comments reported by Russian media to a Stockholm conference organized by the British-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.