Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in phone talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that US arms deliveries to opposition armed groups in Syria could lead to new bloodshed in the war-torn country, Sputnik news agency reported on Tuesday.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Kerry discussed prospects of the Syrian peace process in light of the Russia-Turkey-Iran meeting in Moscow on December 20.

"Lavrov stressed that a US decision to ease restrictions on weapons supplies to Syrian opposition militant groups, including portable air defense systems…could lead to further escalation of tensions in the region and more casualties," the ministry said in a statement.

The two ministers had also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Source: MENA