WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s spokesman on Tuesday increased pressure on Russia over a chemical weapons attack in Syria last week, calling Moscow isolated and saying it was trying to shift blame away from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“Russia is on an island when it comes to its support of Syria,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters.
The nerve gas attack, which killed 87 people, many of them children, and Russia’s allegation that rebels and not Damascus were responsible have chilled U.S. relations with Moscow after a presidential campaign during which Trump frequently called for an alliance with Russia to fight Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.
“In this particular case, it’s no question that Russia is isolated. They have aligned themselves with North Korea, Syria, Iran. That’s not exactly a group of countries you’re looking to hang out with. With the exception of Russia, they are all failed states,” Spicer said.
The attack led the Trump administration to harden its attitude against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad weeks after top U.S. officials said they were more concerned with defeating ISIS terrorists than getting Assad out of power.
“I don’t see a peaceful, stable Syria in the future that has Assad in charge,” Spicer said. “I don’t see a future Syria that has (Assad) as the leader of that government.”
