Russian military says it is ready to talk to US about Aleppo

MOSCOW — The Russian military said Wednesday it's ready to resume contacts with its US counterparts over the situation in Syria, even as US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to cut all cooperation with Moscow on Syria unless an onslaught on Aleppo ends.

Lieutenant General Viktor Poznikhir of the military's General Staff said Wednesday that Russian experts are ready to travel to Geneva to restart consultations with the US to "search for possible ways of normalizing the situation in Aleppo."

A US-Russian truce in Syria has collapsed and the Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched an attempt to take control of the rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo.

Kerry said Wednesday the US is preparing to "suspend US-Russia bilateral engagement on Syria," including talks on a possible counter-extremist partnership, unless Russian and Syrian government attacks on Aleppo end. More than 250 people are believed to have been killed in the besieged city in the last week.

Poznikhir didn't make any reference to Kerry's statement, saying only that Russia was ready to continue discussions. "It's expected that Russian experts will be sent to Geneva shortly to resume consultations with the American side," he said. "We hope that American partners are also ready for joint work."

The US-Russian deal brokered September 9 envisaged cooperation between the two militaries against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria if the declared cease-fire held, but it collapsed amid renewed fighting and mutual acrimony.

The US blamed Russia for an attack on a humanitarian convoy outside Aleppo, accusations Moscow has denied.