Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has demanded that the United States provide any evidence of the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians to the UN Security Council. Speaking to reporters in Vladivostok on Saturday, Putin told journalists that the proof should be shown to UN inspectors and the Security Council, adding that it would be “utter nonsense” for the Syrian government to have used such weapons. “Syrian government troops are on the offensive and have surrounded the opposition in several regions. In these conditions, to give a trump card to those who are calling for a military intervention is utter nonsense,” Putin told reporters in Vladivostok city near China border. Regarding the provision of evidence by the US, Putin said that “if they don’t show it, that means there is [no proof]”. Putin’s comments came as the US made it clear that it would punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a “brutal and flagrant” chemical weapons attack that it said killed 1,429 people near Damascus last week. Aid agencies said that at least 355 people were killed in the attack, with as many as 3,000 injured. On Saturday, a Syrian security official told the AFP news agency that the country was expecting a foreign military attack “at any moment”, and that it was “ready to retaliate”.