Moscow plans to deliver already contracted ground-to-air missile systems to Syria, Russian officials said Friday, pressing ahead with an arms transfer that U.S. officials say could significantly strengthen Damascus's ability to ward off an attack.
With its plans, the Kremlin butted up against rising Western diplomatic pressure not to complete the deal, providing a reminder of the challenges facing U.S. and European leaders as they seek to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"Russia is not planning to sell. Russia already sold them a long time ago. It has signed the contracts and is completing deliveries, in line with the agreed contracts, of equipment that is anti-aircraft technology," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Warsaw.
Mr. Lavrov and a Kremlin spokesman declined Friday to say whether Mr. Lavrov had been referring to S-300 missile batteries, one of Russia's most sophisticated defense systems capable of striking manned aircraft and guided missiles.
[...]
The Russian announcement comes as a snub to the U.S. and its allies. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, three days after Secretary of State John Kerry. U.S. officials said Friday that Mr. Kerry raised the issue of Russian arm shipments to Syria with Mr. Putin, though not the specific Israeli report on the S-300s.
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