Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Washington notified Moscow Wednesday of its refusal to meet the Russian delegation. He said Russia made the offer in late September when President Vladimir Putin met with US President Barack Obama during the UN General Assembly.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said later that Washington's decision wouldn't help combat the Islamic State group and settle the Syrian conflict.
He said Putin's offer to send the delegation led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev underlined Moscow's desire to raise the level of discussions.