© Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev

Senator from the US State of Virginia Richard Black claims that the US government has likely acted to prevent the Syrian government's armed forces from recapturing the city of Aleppo from the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front.The US government has likely acted to prevent the Syrian government's armed forces from recapturing the city of Aleppo from the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front, Senator from the US State of Virginia Richard Black told Sputnik.In an exclusive interview with Sputnik this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that the United States was attempting to create a safe-zone in Aleppo that covered al-Nusra Front fighting positions. The US attempt was made during Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry's negotiations to reconstitute the Syrian cessation of hostilities.Black noted that he agreed with Lavrov's assessment, but argued it is unlikely the US government is being "used" to provide cover for al-Nusra Front in Syria.Black further alleged that the Geneva peace talks are being carried out with the goal of "preserving" the anti-Assad terrorist organizations "so that at some point they eventually can reconstitute themselves and seize control of Syria."The trip was particularly significant since the United States has largely severed ties with the Assad government since the start of Syrian civil war in 2011.