Kerry, Lavrov trade blame for Syrian cease-fire collapse

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, discarded diplomacy at the United Nations this morning, trading blame for the collapse of the Syrian cease-fire. Kerry accused Moscow of playing “word games” in an attempt to dodge responsibility for Monday’s attack on a Red Crescent aid convoy, which killed 20 humanitarian workers. He noted Russia’s various and increasingly ridiculous suggestions about what happened, from a justifiable counter-terror strike to vehicles spontaneously combusting. “This is not a joke,” said Kerry, whose ire appeared to have no effect on Lavrov. In response to the criticism, the Russian foreign minister claimed its forces spotted a U.S. drone in the area at the time of the attack, hinting it might have been responsible for the carnage. Kerry proposed temporarily grounding all aircraft in Syria to guarantee protection for aid convoys, but Russia has not said whether it will agree to the move.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.