Western counterparts inventing absurd reasons: Russia on Boris Johnson's canceled visit

Russia on Saturday said it considers 'absurd' the reason for cancellation of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's visit to Russia, which was due on April 10, in the aftermath of the U.S. airstrike in Syria which the Kremlin has denounced.

"This cancellation of the visit followed its recent postponing. The UK side named various reasons. The impression is that our western counterparts live in some special reality, where at first they are trying to make collective plans unilaterally, and then to have them changed also unilaterally, inventing absurd reasons," TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

Earlier, The Independent reported that Johnson's visit was scrapped after strategic talks between London and Washington, about how the West should approach Russia in the wake of the military action.

Johnson discussed the move with his US counterpart last night after the US launched 59 tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat airbase in Syria, following intelligence that deadly chemical weapons attacks on civilians originated there.

Russia earlier this week denied a chemical weapons attack took place in Syria saying the deaths in Khan Sheikhoun were caused by a Syrian regime airstrike on a rebel-controlled chemical weapons factory on the ground.