US President Donald Trump says relations with Russia worse than during the Cold War

Following the failure of draft resolutions to create a new inquiry to find blame for the chemical weapons attack last week in Douma, Syria, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (top) walks out as Syrian ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari (bottom) begins to speak during a United Nations Security Council meeting regarding the situation in Syria, April 10, 2018 in New York City.

US President Donald Trump says US-Russia relations are "worse now" than they were during the Cold War due to Moscow’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and escalating tensions over a suspected poison gas attack near the Syrian capital Damascus.

“Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War. There is no reason for this,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Twitter.

“Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race?" he wrote.

An alleged chemical weapons attack hit the town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta region in the suburban area near Damascus late on Saturday, reportedly killing at least 60 people and wounding more than 1,000 others.

The alleged attack and subsequent airstrikes on a Syrian air base that Iranian, Syrian and Russian governments blamed on US ally Israel have escalated tensions in the already volatile region.

Two Israeli F-15 warplanes carried out strikes from Lebanese air space on T-4 air base in Homs on Sunday that killed and wounded several people. Syrian air defense systems shot down five out of eight missiles fired.

Trump also mocked Moscow's threat to shoot down any US missiles targeting Syria and pilloried Moscow for its ties to Damascus.

Russia has in the past warned against any US military action against the Syrian government.

Syria on Monday warned about the “dangerous repercussions” of Israeli assaults on its territories, stressing that the recent attack on Homs would not have been possible without massive US support.

The timing of the airstrikes has raised questions about whether Israel was acting alone or as a proxy for the United States.

The US and its allies have stepped up the war talk over the past days while Russia, Iran and other regional players have invited all parties to exercise restraint and look forward to the outcome of investigations into the matter.

Trump warned Russia on Wednesday about supporting Assad and said US missiles "will be coming" in retaliation for the alleged chemical weapons attack.

In response to Trump's threat, Russia advised Washington to target terrorists instead of the Syrian government and its forces.

Damascus, in a statement released late on Saturday, strongly rejected the allegation of using chemical munitions and said that the so-called Jaish al-Islam Takfiri terrorist group was repeating the accusations.