Russia mocks UK over Johnson's cancelled Moscow trip

UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson has been criticised by officials in Russia after he cancelled a planned visit to Moscow due to increasing tensions in the Syrian conflict.

Last week the US targeted a missile attack on a Syrian airbase after president Bashar al-Assad’s regime reportedly used chemical weapons during an attack on rebel groups.

Ahead of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers on Monday, Johnson cancelled the scheduled visit to Moscow, with the Kremlin responding with a scathing indictment of the UK's role in the conflict.

The foreign secretary said on Sunday that he was pulling out of the trip due to "Russia’s continued defence of the Assad regime."

Russia’s foreign ministry said that Johnson showed a "fundamental misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of the events in Syria, Russia’s efforts to settle that crisis and the general objectives of diplomacy".

"The decision to call off Johnson’s visit to Moscow confirms once again doubts in the presence of added value in speaking to the UK, which does not have its own position on the majority of present-day issues, nor does it have real influence on the course of international affairs," the statement read.

The Russian embassy in London were also highly critical of the UK response, writing on Twitter that Johnson’s cancellation of the meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was "deplorable”.

Meanwhile, Russia’s allies Iran and groups loyal to Assad have said that any further aggression from the US will lead to a forceful response.

"From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well," the group told media outlet Ilam al Harbi.