Putin wants US not to strike Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that placing Syrian chemical weapons under international control makes sense only if the US drops its military strike plan against Syria.

"Certainly, all this makes sense and can work only if we hear that the US side and everyone who supports the US in this sense drops the idea of using force," reported Xinhua citing Putin in a statement.

It is hard for Syria to disarm unilaterally if "some forcible action is being prepared against it", Putin added.

Russia expects Damascus not only agree to put its chemical weapons under control and dispose them, but also join relevant international convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons, the Russian president said.

Earlier the day, visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al- Moualem said Damascus accepted a Moscow proposal to put its chemical weapons under international control to "stave off" a possible US military strike.