The Russian President reveals the purpose of the Russian presence in Syria and the date of withdrawal
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the presence of Russian forces in Syria is temporary and will remain in place as long as there are benefits for his country.
Putin made these statements during the annually live television interview, on December 14, where he indicated that the presence of Russian forces aims to guarantee Russia’s interests in this vital and very close region, namely Syria.
The Russian President explained that his country doesn’t currently intend to withdraw these military units from Syria, noting that they call their stationing sites in Syria points, not bases, and that they aren’t building long-term structures there.
Putin stressed that Russia is capable of withdrawing its forces quickly enough without incurring any material losses if necessary.
Despite speculation about reducing the Russian presence in Syria since the middle of last year, no information about a Russian withdrawal has been confirmed yet.
Since the Russian intervention in Syria in 2015, the Syrian government has succeeded in recovering large areas of territory thanks to Russian support.
Despite rumors about the reduction of Russian forces in Syria due to the situation in Ukraine, Putin confirmed the continued presence of forces in Syria temporarily, which remains dependent on the benefits that accrue to Russia from this presence.
