Western diplomats should expect Iranian militias to remain in Syria following the conclusion of a civil war that has roiled the region, according to a senior Russian diplomat.

Alexei Borodavkin, a Russian diplomat at the United Nations, made the remark in the run-up to U.N.-brokered negotiations intended to end the war. But his comments cast a shadow on the talks by repudiating key goals of the Syrian opposition groups who want Iranian militias to withdraw and embattled President Bashar Assad to relinquish power, despite his Iranian and Russian support.