US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday made a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that focused on the conflict in Syria, the State Department said.

Kerry called Lavrov to "make clear that Russia's continued support for President Assad risks exacerbating and extending the conflict, and undermining our shared goal of fighting extremism if we do not also remain focused on finding a solution to the conflict in Syria via a genuine political transition," the State Department said later in a written statement.

Kerry also told Lavrov that the US is committed to the existing coalition it has created to fight the Islamic State group and that Assad could not be a "credible member" of that group, the statement said, adding that the U.S. would welcome a "constructive Russian role" in an effort which will only succeed if there is "a political transition away from Assad."

Source: MENA