Russian airstrikes in Syria are "undermining" efforts to resolve the country's conflict, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday, days after a military onslaught by the Syrian regime brought about a suspension of peace talks.
Russia has drawn Western criticism for supporting the military of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - a close ally of Moscow - with a bombing campaign launched against insurgents in September.
A US-led coalition is also conducting airstrikes in Syria, targeting the Islamic State [Daesh] extremist group.
Many Western and regional powers have criticized Russia for striking areas held by rebel groups they support.
UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva were paused this week amid a surge in violence during a campaign by regime forces - backed by Russian airstrikes - on rebel-held areas in Aleppo.
The Russian airstrikes, mainly targeting opposition groups in Syria, are "undermining the efforts to find a political solution to the conflict," Stoltenberg said in Amsterdam on Friday, before holding talks with EU defence ministers.
The Russian air activity is also "causing increased tensions and violations of Turkish airspace," the NATO chief noted, calling this a "challenge" for the alliance, of which Turkey is a member.
The traditionally warm relations between Moscow and Ankara have soured after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November for allegedly violating Turkish airspace - a charge Russia denies.
In Moscow, a Russian Defence Ministry spokesman said Thursday that Russian warplanes had bombed about 900 "terrorist" targets in Syria in the past four days.
The targets were located in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Homs, Hama and Deir Ezzor, General Igor Konashenkov said in comments carried by state news agency TASS.
On Monday, he said that Russian warplanes had bombed more than 1,300 targets the previous week.
The United Nations has implicated al-Assad's regime in crimes against humanity, and some Western and regional powers believe that restoring peace in Syria is impossible without al-Assad stepping down.
