“If we remove from the equation the entirely unrealistic and counterproductive demand of the resignation of Assad as a precondition for the fight against terrorism... we may work effectively,” Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday.
The Russian minister also described the West attitudes toward President Assad’s legitimacy as “double standards”.
“It simply cannot be that, for the purpose of the destruction of chemical weapons Assad is legitimate, and for the purpose of fighting against terrorism he is not. It is not logical,” Lavrov said.
The stance by Russia came after the US Department of State released a statement on Friday, saying that the resignation of Assad is “an important part of the fight” against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group.