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Assad Travels to Moscow to Discuss Syrian War With Putin Assad Makes Unannounced Trip to Moscow to Discuss Syria With Putin
(35 minutes later)
MOSCOW — President Bashar al-Assad of Syria flew to Moscow for an unannounced visit late Tuesday for talks with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia about their joint military campaign and a future political transition in Syria, a Kremlin spokesman said on Wednesday. MOSCOW — President Bashar al-Assad of Syria flew to Moscow late Tuesday for an unannounced visit with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to discuss their joint military campaign and a future political transition in Syria, a Kremlin spokesman said on Wednesday.
The two discussed “issues regarding the fight against terrorist and extremist groups, issues of the continuation of the Russian operation supporting the offensive of the Syrian military,” Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman, told reporters. The two men discussed “issues regarding the fight against terrorist and extremist groups, issues of the continuation of the Russian operation supporting the offensive of the Syrian military,” Dmitry S. Peskov, the spokesman, told reporters.
Mr. Assad briefed Mr. Putin about the situation on the ground in Syria and future plans, he said. Mr. Assad briefed Mr. Putin about the situation on the ground in Syria and about future plans, he said.
The Russian president told his Syrian counterpart that Russia was ready to contribute to fighting terrorism and to a political settlement of the conflict that has raged for more than four years, according to Russian news reports. Mr. Putin told his Syrian counterpart that Russia was ready to contribute to the fight against terrorism and to a political settlement of the conflict that has raged for more than four years, according to Russian news reports.
The Moscow meeting was the first encounter between the two men since Russian forces began airstrikes in Syria three weeks ago. Although the air campaign has been publicly portrayed as an effort to turn back Islamic State militants, the main targets have been the opposition units that most directly threaten Mr. Assad.
Under the cover provided by about 50 Russian military aircraft, the Syrian armed forces, along with fighters from Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, have been pressing a ground offensive in and around important central cities, including Aleppo.
Analysts say they believe that Russia hopes to shore up Mr. Assad’s power over key parts of central Syria and then push the fight against Islamic State strongholds in the West. Russia and Syria tend to group the armed opposition organizations, including both the Islamic State and rebels backed by the West, as Islamic terrorists.
In a brief transcript released by the Kremlin, Mr. Putin told Mr. Assad that the military and political issues were linked.
“As far as the Syrian settlement is concerned, we believe that on the basis of positive dynamics in combat, in the end, long-term settlement will be achieved with the participation of all political forces, as well as ethnic and religious groups,” Mr. Putin said. “At the end of the day, it will be the Syrian people who will have the decisive word.”
Mr. Putin has said previously that the move toward a political transition in Syria could happen in tandem with the military campaign.
The United States and its regional allies, as well as central factions of the opposition in exile, reject the idea of a significant role for Mr. Assad in the transition. The Syrian government started a civil war that has killed an estimated 250,000 people, left millions homeless and decimated the country, rather than accede to the demands of peaceful protesters demanding greater democracy in 2011.