“I don't doubt that that information won't come out. I think that you're also seeing the investigations of Russia now,” Nikki Haley said. | Getty Haley escalates rhetoric on Russia over Syria

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is escalating the Trump administration's rhetoric against Russia for its support of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

In an interview airing Sunday on "Meet the Press," Haley said the administration would hold Russia accountable for Syrian government attacks against civilians, citing her confrontation with her Russian counterpart at Friday’s U.N. Security Council meeting about the new U.S. airstrikes against Syria on Thursday.


“This is something to let Russia know, 'You know what? We're not going to have you cover for this regime anymore. And we're not going to allow things like this to happen to innocent people,'" Haley said.

Haley indicated that more information about Russia’s possible role in the reported chemical attack could be released soon by U.S. intelligence agencies.

“I don't doubt that that information won't come out. I think that you're also seeing the investigations of Russia now,” Haley said. “That information's going to come out when they can declassify it.”

Continuing to pressure Russia as a patron of Assad’s regime, Haley said the U.S. would hold Russia accountable for continued violence against civilians by Assad’s regime and seemed to reverse the administration’s earlier stance that regime change in Syria was not a goal of the U.S. government.

“In no way do we see peace in that area with Russia covering up for Assad. In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad as the head of the Syrian government. And we have to make sure that we're pushing that process,” Haley said.

“The political solution has to come together for the good of the people of Syria,” she added.

Later, CNN reported the chairman of the Russian Senate’s international affairs committee wrote a social media post calling Haley’s comments “a direct sabotage” of efforts to negotiate the removal of Assad from Syria’s government.