Russia said Saturday that a proposal by US Secretary of State John Kerry to remove Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons by ship was premature.

 

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued the remarks in response to Kerry's comment to National Public Radio on Thursday.

 

"My hope is that much of this material will be moved as rapidly [as] possibly into one location, and hopefully on a ship, and removed from the region," Kerry said.

 

In a statement published on its website, the ministry said "experts are considering various options and technical ways to destroy the Syrian chemical weapons, including outside Syria.

 

"Considering that this work is not yet finished, in our view it is so far premature to talk about any specifics."