YEREVAN, October 7, ARMENPRESS. USA did not agree to cooperate with Russia in the fight against the Islamic State and no collaboration is possible as long as Moscow continues to strike other targets. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton  Carter announced about the aforementioned on October 8, as “Armenpress” informed, citing Chron website.

The United States, Carter said, is not prepared to cooperate with a strategy of Russia's that is "tragically flawed."

"They continue to hit targets that are not ISIL," Carter said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. "We believe that is a fundamental mistake."

Carter said he is concerned about the Syrian ground offensive that began Wednesday backed by Russian airpower. Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar Assad, has hit Western-backed rebels fighting Assad. The U.S. maintains that the only route to peace in Syria is to remove Assad from power.

Russia on Tuesday informed the United States that Moscow is willing to continue talks to ensure that the two countries' aircraft don't interfere with each other, U.S. officials said. But a Russian defense official said the talks should be much broader than what the Pentagon is seeking.

The Pentagon wants talks aimed at making sure there are no conflicts, collisions or other problems as the U.S.-led coalition and the Russians fly over Syria. The U.S. side has proposed a number of safety measures, including using specific international radio frequencies for distress calls by military pilots flying in Syrian airspace.