Kremlin explains why Russia helped Assad during his presidency

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted Russia's role in supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the fight against terrorism, emphasizing that the Syrian leadership has since acted independently.

"Russia helped the Syrian Arab Republic at one time to cope with terrorists and helped to reach the stabilization of the situation, after this situation threatened the entire region. And then, Assad's leadership actually worked in their country, engaged in development in their country,” Peskov noted, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Peskov's remarks were in response to a journalist's query on whether the ongoing conflict in Ukraine had influenced the situation in Syria.

The Kremlin spokesman's comments underscored that Russia’s assistance primarily focused on counterterrorism and regional stabilization.

Earlier, Peskov said that the Kremlin was monitoring the situation in Syria and was in contact with those who control the situation in the country. He added that such contacts are necessary because there are Russian military bases in Syria, as well as the Russian diplomatic mission.

Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict in 2015, providing military support to Assad's government against various armed groups, including ISIS. This intervention was pivotal in altering the trajectory of the war in favor of the Syrian government.

By Khagan Isayev