Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise stop at Russia’s air base in Syria to declare “victory” in his two-year military campaign, part of a whirlwind three-nation Middle East tour aimed at demonstrating his growing influence in the region.
After ordering troops to begin pulling out of Syria, Putin flew to Cairo to seal a US$30 billion deal in talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to build North Africa’s first nuclear power plant.
He then traveled to Turkey to discuss Syria and reach a deal on financing of a defensive missile sale with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Our armed forces and military-industrial enterprises have demonstrated the growing might of Russia’s army and navy,” Putin told troops at the Khmeimim air base in Syria, a Kremlin statement said.
Putin’s appearance in Syria underlines his success in sidelining the US since he in September 2015 ordered Russia’s military to intervene in the conflict. The US under former president Barack Obama demanded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s removal, while Putin’s willingness to back the Syrian leader with force against rebel groups helped reverse the course of a civil war that has killed more than 400,000 people and sent millions more fleeing since it erupted in 2011.
“Putin’s announcement of Russia’s partial withdrawal from Syria marks the victorious end of the military campaign, but not of the Russian military presence and political involvement in the region,” Carnegie Moscow Center director Dmitri Trenin said on Twitter.
In Egypt, Russia is negotiating an agreement on mutual use of air bases by their militaries, which would extend the Kremlin’s reach in the region. Putin also announced plans to resume commercial air service between Moscow and Cairo, offering Egypt a boost to tourism after flights were suspended in 2015 when terrorists blew up a passenger jet destined for Russia over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.
Putin used his appearance in Ankara to reiterate his criticism of US President Donald Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, saying the bid to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv “doesn’t help settle the situation in the Middle East” and damages the prospects for peace.
Standing beside Erdogan, Putin said they reached an understanding on financing for two S-400 missile-defense systems Turkey is buying for US$2.5 billion and would sign a formal agreement later this week.
Putin is working with Turkey and Iran to enforce ceasefire zones in Syria as he seeks to revive long-stalled efforts to reach a peace settlement. He has also reached out to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to persuade opposition groups to join Russian-hosted peace talks with al-Assad.
Although Putin said most of Russia’s forces would leave Syria, he said his nation would maintain the air base and a naval port at Tartus.
US Department of Defense spokesman Colonel Rob Manning told reporters that “Russian comments about removal of their forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions.”
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