Russia has offered a new denial of accusations that it has been selling attack helicopters to the Syrian regime to use in the deadly crackdown on opposition supporters. In a statement on June 15, the Foreign Ministry said that “many years ago” Russia sold Syria such helicopters, but now Russia was engaged only in repairs of those helicopters.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this week alleged that Russia was supplying attack helicopters to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on June 14 sought to clarify, saying helicopters had been repaired in Russia and were sent back to Syria. Nuland said, however, that whether the Russian helicopters are new or have been refurbished, the Washington remains concerned the aircraft could be used to kill Syrian civilians.
In other news, the White House says President Barack Obama has spoken with King Abdullah of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia. Officials gave no details about the conversation on June 14, but the talk comes amid heightened concerns over the conflict in Syria and the imminent expansion of sanctions against Iran over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program. Saudi Arabia has been a leading supporter of the Syrian opposition to the Assad regime, and has backed providing foreign help to the rebels.