MOSCOW — Russia said on Monday it would urge Syria to put its chemical weapons arsenal under international control if this would avert military strikes.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who called a news conference to announce the proposal, said he had already conveyed the idea to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem at talks in Moscow and that Russia expected "a quick and, I hope, a positive answer."

Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier on Monday that Syrian President Bashar Assad could avoid a U.S. strike by surrendering all his chemical weapons within a week, but immediately made clear he was not making a serious offer.