The posts reflect the roles of the Cold War-era superpowers as co-sponsors of peace talks that began this week in Geneva, with Moscow a leading supporter of President Bashar al-Assad and Washington friendly with many of his enemies.
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Speaking in the Kremlin three days after he ordered Russian forces to partially withdraw from Syria, the Russian president said the smaller strike force he had left behind in his closest Middle East ally was big enough to help forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad keep advancing.
“Bearing in mind our support and the strengthening of the Syrian army, I am sure we will see new successes of patriotic forces in fighting terrorism in the near future, ” Putin said.
Opponents of Syria’s President Assad – who Russian Federation is supporting – have welcomed the withdrawal, although a spokesperson for the White House said on Friday morning that it was too soon to assess the effect of the disengagement.
Putin said the bulk of the bombing campaign in Syria had been covered by the defense ministry, which earlier earmarked 33 billion rubles ($481.5 million) for drills.
Putin claimed to favor a diplomatic solution to the years-long conflict in Syria, but added that Russian Federation could swiftly ramp up its military presence in Syria again.
“If it becomes necessary, Russian Federation is capable of building up its groups of forces in the region to the level required by the situation in literally a few hours and use our entire arsenal”, he said.
Russian Federation has worked with the United States for the implementation of the current cease-fire and nudged Assad into attending the Geneva peace process in the hope of ending the bloodshed.
At an event at the Kremlin honoring officers who served in Syria, Putin said Russia’s actions demonstrated “leadership, will and responsibility” while fighting what he called “enemies of civilization”.
Attending the ceremony were relatives of four Russian servicemen who perished while on combat duty in Syria, including the pilot of a warplane shot down by Turkey.
Russian Federation will also continue to boost the Syrian military with weapons, training and operational guidance, Putin said.
Putin’s motivations in Syria – always somewhat opaque – had appeared to put more emphasis on general stability in the war-torn country than on Assad himself. Although the moderate Syrian opposition has documented hundreds of violations by Syrian and Russian aircraft against the moderate rebels, overall violence has decreased.
The pullout from the base coincides with the resumption of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva between the Syrian government and representatives of the opposition. “You, soldiers of Russian Federation, opened up this pathway to peace”, he told the audience.
Russian Federation had deployed about 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters to the Hmeymim air base near Latakia, starting in September 2015. The sudden announcement of a partial withdrawal of forces was also unexpected.
As each Russian Su-35 or Su-24 bomber sped off the runway, a narrator recited its technical capabilities, a virtual air show.
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For his part, Kharrazi said his country’s support to Syria is “a steady and strategic policy” of Iran.
