Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the fate of Syria must be decided by the Syrians through comprehensive dialogue.

Putin added during a press conference following his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, January 17, “We hope that the Syrian people can successfully overcome all the challenges arising from the current transitional period.”

He expressed his country’s readiness to “continue providing the necessary support to the Syrian people.”

Russia has been the main supporter of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime alongside Iran in its war to suppress the Syrian people over the years.

The Russian military intervention in Syria began in late September 2015, and Russia established several military bases in the country, notably the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartus naval base.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), Russia has killed 6,969 Syrian civilians, including 2,055 children and 983 women, due to its bombing of cities and towns.

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Putin said on December 19, 2024, that what is happening in Syria “does not represent a defeat for Russia,” referring to the fall of the regime it supported.

He added that his country sought to prevent the formation of “a hotspot for terrorism like Afghanistan,” and was able to achieve its objectives to some extent, with the groups that fought the “Syrian Arab Army” (the Bashar al-Assad regime’s army) having changed.

Putin stated that if Western countries are now seeking dialogue with these groups, it means that there have indeed been changes.

Last Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is in daily contact with the new authorities in Syria and is ready to contribute to improving the situation there.

Russia wishes to be “helpful in the current situations, establishing a comprehensive dialogue with the participation of all national, religious, and sectarian forces, and with the involvement of all external parties,” according to Lavrov’s statement.

Regarding Russian support for the ousted Assad regime, Lavrov mentioned that the regime has shown procrastination in the political process over the past ten years and a desire to maintain the status quo.

He added that the regime was not willing to share power with the opposition, which was accompanied by problems resulting from economic sanctions that have strangled the economy, and that the eastern part of Syria, rich in oil, is “occupied by the United States, leading to the exploitation of its resources for the benefit of supporting separatist sentiment in northeastern Syria.”