Russia’s Putin makes rare visit to Syria, meets Assad
January 7, 2020, 4:25 pm

Russia’s Putin makes rare visit to Syria, meets Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on January 7, 2020. (Photo Reuters)

Vladimir Putin met Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, the Russian leader’s second trip to Syria since Moscow intervened decisively on the Syrian president’s behalf in a civil war.

Putin told Assad that much had been done to restore Syrian statehood, while Assad thanked Putin for his assistance in restoring peaceful life in Syria, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported, citing the Kremlin. Putin will visit several facilities in Syria during the trip, it added.

Syrian state news agency SANA showed a photo of Putin smiling as he shook Assad’s hand and said they had listened to a military presentation by the head of Russian forces in Syria.

The visit comes at a time of heightened regional tension, when Assad’s other main military ally Iran has said it will retaliate against the United States for the killing of an Iranian general.

Qassem Soleimani, who was one of the key figures in Syria’s civil war as the architect of Iranian military operations in the Middle East, had just arrived in Iraq from Syria when he was killed by a US drone on Friday at Baghdad airport.

Russian and Iranian support have helped Assad win back nearly all territory from rebels who tried to overthrow him during the civil war that began nearly nine years ago.

Putin’s previous trip to Syria was in 2017 when he visited Russia’s Hmeymim air base.

source:Reuters

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.