Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad did not represent a “defeat” for Russia, asserting that Moscow had accomplished its objectives in the country.
Earlier this month, Assad fled to Moscow after a sudden rebel advance ended over 50 years of Assad family rule, which had been characterized by repression, widespread human rights violations, and civil war.
His departure followed more than 13 years of violent suppression against pro-democracy protests that led to the onset of Syria’s civil war.
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Russia had been Assad’s primary ally, intervening in 2015 to help reverse the course of the conflict.
“You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference.
“I assure you it is not,” he said, responding to a question from an American journalist.
“We came to Syria 10 years ago so that a terrorist enclave would not be created there like in Afghanistan. On the whole, we have achieved our goal,” Putin said.
The Kremlin leader said he had yet to meet with Assad in Moscow, but planned to do so soon.
“I haven’t yet seen president Assad since his arrival in Moscow but I plan to, I will definitely speak with him,” he said.
For the first time since Assad’s downfall, Putin publicly addressed the situation in Syria.
Moscow is determined to secure the future of two military bases in the country.
The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been crucial to the Kremlin’s operations in both Africa and the Middle East.
Putin emphasized that there is support for Russia maintaining control of these bases.
“We maintain contacts with all those who control the situation there, with all the countries of the region. An overwhelming majority of them say they are interested in our military bases staying there,” Putin said.
He also stated that Russia had evacuated 4,000 Iranian soldiers from the country at Tehran’s request.
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