MOSCOW — Russia sought to distance itself on Wednesday from American accusations that it was responsible for the fiery destruction of a humanitarian convoy in Syria, with the foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, also seeking to absolve Syria of responsibility for the attack.

The charges and countercharges divided opinion in Russia, with some accusing the Syrian government and others blaming the United States. If there was any consensus, it was that the destruction of the much-needed aid convoy bound for rebel-held parts of Aleppo Province on Monday dealt a serious blow to already beleaguered attempts by the United States and Russian to find a way to work together on Syria.

Mr. Lavrov, noting that the Russian Air Force had already announced that it had not hit the convoy, said the Syrians were not able to fly at night. “The Syrian Air Force could not have been at work, because the convoy was attacked during the hours of darkness,” Mr. Lavrov said from the United Nations General Assembly session in New York, speaking to Russia’s state-run Rossiya 1 television.

Later on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a United States Predator drone had appeared in the area just minutes before the aid convoy was attacked. There was no immediate response from the Pentagon.