Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled down on his support of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad in an interview with Charlie Rose on “60 Minutes.”
Putin said that Assad needed to remain as head of Syria’s government to maintain stability in the Middle East. The Obama administration has repeatedly called for Assad’s removal due to the brutal, ongoing civil war ravaging Syria.
“We support the legitimate government of Syria,” said the Russian president. “And it’s my deep belief that any actions to the contrary in order to destroy the legitimate government — will create a situation which you can witness now in the other countries of the region or in other regions, for instance in Libya where all the state institutions are disintegrated.”
“We see a similar situation in Iraq,” he added.
Putin brushed aside the allegation that Assad had used “barrel bombs” and poison gas against Syrians, including many children.
“Speaking in a professional language of intelligence services I can tell you that this kind of assessment is an ‘active measure’ by enemies of Assad. It is anti-Syrian propaganda,” said the former KGB officer.
Putin ruled out Russian ground troops to help Assad fight the Islamic State, al-Nusra, and others, at least for the moment.
“Russia will not participate in any troop operations in the territory of Syria or in any other states,” he said. “Well, at least we don’t plan on it right now.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Sunday to discuss Russia’s escalating military buildup in Syria and how the two nations can “de-conflict” and transition the war-torn country politically. President Obama will meet with Putin Monday.
