Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday that “irresponsible” U.S. policies have strengthened the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), multiple reports say.
“[ISIS] became possible partly due to irresponsible U.S. politics,” he said in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Bloomberg reported, citing the Interfax news agency.
{mosads}Medvedev reportedly said that America ignored the rise of ISIS by focusing on ousting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad instead. He also accused U.S. actions of empowering al Qaeda, it added, leading to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.
The White House refused comment Sunday over the Russian dignitary’s remarks, Bloomberg reported.
President Obama and Medvedev each addressed the growing threat of terrorism during the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have long disagreed over the legitimacy of Assad’s regime since Syria erupted in civil war four years ago.
Russia has thrown its support behind Assad, while the Obama administration has backed the rebels.
“Russia has not officially committed to a transition of Assad moving out but they did agree to political transition process,” Obama said Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.
“And I think we’ll find out over the next several weeks whether or not we can bring about that change in perspective with the Russians,” the president added.
“We have to work together to fight ISIL as a terrorist factor,” Medvedev said during a press conference with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, using an alternate acronym for the terrorist group, according to Today’s Zaman.
“We also have to harmonize, to coordinate efforts – both political and military – that are undertaken by those countries that have suffered from terrorism,” he added.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a string of terrorist attacks across Paris that killed 130 people and wounded more than 300 others. It has also taken credit for bombing a Russian passenger jet and killing 224 people late last month.