Russia's army on Saturday confirmed it sent a letter to the United States last month with a proposal to cooperate on rebuilding Syria and repatriating refugees after it was reported in the media. The Russian army's chief of staff General Valery Gerasimov sent a letter to the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford saying Moscow is willing to cooperate with Washington in demining the war-torn country and helping refugees return to their homes.
The letter had been reported in the media a day earlier, which angered Russian authorities. "It is disappointing that the American side is unable to comply with the agreement on publicising the content of contact only after both sides agree," Russia's defence ministry said in a statement. It added that Gerasimov's letter was in part "about the readiness of the Russian side to work with the Syrian authorities to provide security guarantees to refugees in the Rukban camp in the US-controlled Al-Tanf area and to create conditions for their return to their homes."