U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said the United States has not agreed to cooperate militarily with Russia in Syria because its strategy is "tragically flawed."
Speaking in Rome on October 7, Carter renewed U.S. accusations that Russia's strikes were not focused on the Islamic State (IS) group, adding that it was a "fundamental mistake."
He said, however, that the United States was prepared to carry out basic, technical discussions with Moscow on pilot safety.
The Russian Defense Ministry reacted to Washington's criticism, saying it believes that the U.S.-led coalition against the IS group has "not always" been striking terrorist targets.
Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was also quoted as saying Washington's refusal to share intelligence with it about the positions of IS militants showed the United States was "looking for reasons to refuse us cooperation in the fight against international terrorism."
