Russia has called on the United States to end its illegal occupation of Syria and instead deal with its own internal crises amid social unrest that has gripped the country over the murder of another black man by a white police officer.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned as “crazy” recent remarks by US Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker about the Russian military’s presence in Syria.

Schenker said on Thursday that Russia should “go out” of Syria as it had played a “destructive” role there.

“It seems that he [Schenker] does not know what he was speaking about. His remarks went beyond good and evil. They are stupid remarks,” a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

“The professional level in the US Department of State became very low. The US should leave Syria and deal with its internal crisis.”