On Tuesday, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Syria supports the Kremlin’s “special military operation” against neo-Nazis in Ukraine.
Ukraine Conflict
“I am referring to the new and old Nazis because the West accepted the old Nazis in the past and has now started supporting the new ones,” Assad told Putin during a face-to-face meeting in Moscow. He underscored that Damascus’ position is not only based on its “friendship and devotion” to Moscow but also “the need to stabilise the world.”
President Assad told President Putin that Syria supports the Russian special military operation in Ukraine against the neo and old Nazis historically "supported by the West". pic.twitter.com/5SKqz7vUPy
— Kevork Almassian🇸🇾🇦🇲 (@KevorkAlmassian) March 15, 2023
According to Syria’s state-owned SANA news agency, Putin thanked Assad for his stance on the Ukraine conflict and called the military operation a “war of existence” for Russia as it aimed to push back against Western efforts to “destabilise” the Russian economy and political structure.
Putin noted that despite these threats, Russia has been able to survive, and ultimately, adapt itself in light of the hostile conditions.
Syrian Civil War
Putin praised the Russian military support for the Syrian regime, saying that Moscow has helped Damascus to achieve “tangible results in the fight against international terrorism” and stabilise its socio-economic and domestic political situation.
Assad expressed gratitude for Putin’s commitment towards his regime. “It is necessary to repel terror and oppose all foreign ground forces that are [in Syria] illegally,” he noted.
The Syrian President has repeatedly accused rebel groups fighting against his regime of receiving foreign support. His regime has also received support from the Kremlin at the UN Security Council for keeping all border crossings in the north-east, except the Bab Al Hawa crossing, closed. Russia alleges that the West would supply arms to Syrian rebels if these borders were opened.
Moreover, Russia has played a crucial part in helping the Syrian regime take previously rebel-held areas and stage a crucial comeback in the war. Russia entered the Syrian civil war in 2015, when the rebels had almost defeated the Syrian military.
Since then, Russia has launched thousands of airstrikes in rebel strongholds and deployed troops to Syria, turning the tide in favour of the Assad government. However, the airstrikes have taken a substantial humanitarian toll on the country, killing more than 18,000 people, of whom almost 8,000 were civilians.