Russia, on Monday, urged the United States, to respect Syria’s territorial integrity and refrain from unilateral actions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made his remarks after a US warplane shot down a Syrian army jet on Sunday in the southern Raqqa countryside, with Washington saying the jet had dropped bombs near U.S.-backed forces and Damascus saying the plane was downed while flying a mission against Islamic State militants.

Lavrov also said that a new round of peace talks on Syria in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana would tale place on July 10.

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A senior Russian diplomat told Interfax news agency on Monday that the downing of a Syrian government warplane by the US is a step toward a dangerous escalation, and Moscow is warning Washington not to use force against Syrian government troops.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also told the agency that a set of new US sanctions that can be imposed on Russia will lead Moscow to retaliate.

Ryabkov said that he and US Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon would meet in St Petersburg on June 23 to discuss problems in bilateral ties, Interfax reported. (NAN)