President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has not been defeated in Syria, despite rebel groups overthrowing his ally, Bashar al-Assad, earlier this month.
In his first public remarks on the matter on Thursday, Putin acknowledged that he had not yet met with the former Syrian leader, who fled to Moscow. However, he emphasized that he “will definitely talk to him” and intends to meet him in the Russian capital.
He stated that he would ask al-Assad about the whereabouts of missing U.S. reporter Austin Tice, whose release the White House has called a “top priority.”
During his annual end-of-year news conference, Putin also rejected claims that Russia, which intervened in Syria in 2015 and shifted the course of the civil war in al-Assad’s favor, had experienced a setback with the collapse of the former regime.
“You want to portray what’s happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Putin remarked. “I assure you, it is not… we have accomplished our objectives.”
He explained that Russia’s intervention in Syria aimed to “prevent a terrorist enclave from forming” and emphasized that “it’s no coincidence that many European countries and the United States now seek to establish relations with [Syria’s new rulers].”
“We maintain relations with all the groups that control the situation there, as well as with all the countries in the region,” Putin continued, noting that “the overwhelming majority of them have expressed interest in keeping our military bases in Syria.”
He stated that Russia had offered to maintain its bases there “for humanitarian purposes.” Putin also acknowledged that Russia had evacuated 4,000 Iranian fighters following the fall of the al-Assad government.
Russia-Ukraine war
Regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, Putin stated that he was open to discussing the possibility of a compromise in talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
He expressed his willingness to meet Trump “at any time.”
“I don’t know when I’ll see him. He hasn’t said anything about it. I haven’t spoken to him in over four years, but I am ready, of course. Any time,” Putin remarked.
Putin also highlighted the supposed invincibility of Russia’s “Oreshnik” hypersonic missile, which has already been test-fired at a Ukrainian military factory. He suggested he was prepared to organize another launch at Ukraine to see if Western air defense systems could intercept it.
“Let them choose a target, say in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defense and missile defense forces there, and we will strike with Oreshnik and see what happens,” he said.
