Russia criticized the top U.S. military commander of the Middle East on Tuesday, saying he “discredited the official position” of President Trump by expressing hesitance toward working with Russian counterparts in Syria.

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, U.S. Central Command chief, made his comments over the weekend to The Wall Street Journal and ABC News while en route to Afghanistan. He said watching Russia’s military actions in Syria gave him “some pause” about working more closely with its forces.

“With...