During his first visit to Moscow since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began, Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad expressed his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Interfax news agency, Assad said in the Kremlin today that he wanted to use the moment to repeat the Syrian position in support of the “special operation”. In Russia, the war against Ukraine is referred to as a “special operation”.
Assad had arrived in the Russian capital the day before for an unannounced visit. After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the Kremlin wall, he also met Putin for talks. He thanked, among other things, for the help provided by Russia after the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey in February. Previously, Putin and Assad met in September 2021, when the Syrian also traveled to Moscow.
Assad is considered to be heavily dependent on the Kremlin. Russia is one of the main supporters of its government. Russia’s military intervention in 2015 in the country’s civil war helped tip the balance of power in Assad’s favor.
