The discussion came after the United States suspended bilateral consultations with Russia over Syria, saying that Moscow had failed to live up to commitments to rein in a ferocious aerial and ground assault on the opposition-held eastern districts of Aleppo.

Russia earlier rejected a calls from John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, for a total suspension of military flights over Syria in order to restore the ceasefire.

Moscow blames the collapse of a short lived ceasefire on a US-led alliance airstrike that mistakenly killed dozens of Syrian government soldiers on September 17. Maj. Gen Konashenkov said measures had been taken to prevent a repetition of such “mistakes.”

The US believes Russia and the Syrian regime destroyed the ceasefire when they bombed a humanitarian convoy in revenge.

Russia announced the deployment of the S-330 VM, an advanced anti-aircraft missile that can also intercept cruise missiles, to Syria on Tuesday.

Thursday's warning came as the Russian foreign ministry appeared to accuse the United States of involvement in a mortar attack on its Damascus embassy.

No one was hurt in the attack on Monday, which saw several rounds landed in the compound of the Russian embassy. The ministry said it believed the shells had been fired from a rebel-held neighbourhood.