Russia says there will be no legal basis for any unilateral attempt to set up a buffer zone in Syria and such a move needs to be approved by the UN.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, said on Thursday, “The UN Security Council must take the decision on such zones.”

Lukashevich emphasized that any one-sided attempt by a country or a coalition to create the buffer zone is “illegitimate.”

The Russian official made the remarks in an apparent reference to the so-called US-led coalition against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists. His comments came after Turkey called for the establishment of a buffer zone in Syria in the face of ISIL threats.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Ankara is ready to launch ground operations against ISIL only if a buffer zone was set up between Turkey and Syria.

MG