Russia Follows Its Own Path in Resolving Crisis in Syria: Putin

MOSCOW- Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia has made the decision to help Syria confront terrorism not in order to show its arms capabilities but to put an end to the spread of terrorism.

The Russian President said in an interview with journalist Vladimir Solovyov, included in a documentary dubbed World Order 2018, that Moscow did not seize the initiative in resolving the crisis in Syria, it has been just following its own path, which has proved effective.

 “The thing is that we did not seize anything. We have just been following our own path, which has proved effective and produced positive results for all,” Putin said when asked how Russia had managed to seize the initiative in resolving the crisis in Syria, according to Itrar Tass.

While speaking about the 2017 trilateral talks on Syria, which involved Russia, Iran and Turkey, Putin said that “to a certain extent, the goal was to finalize the decisions that we had already reached, particularly those concerning the southern de-escalation zone.”

Putin also mentioned the joint Russian-US statement on Syria, approved on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam, which “is very much consistent with the Sochi statement.”

US policy of blacklisting all ‘indiscriminately’ is sign of weakness

Putin also said that the US policy of ‘indiscriminately’ including all in sanctions lists is a sign of weakness rather than of strength.

“What actually happened? They indiscriminately included all in some blacklist and called everyone an enemy. This is a sign of weakness rather than of strength, when they try to get everyone by one flapper. It does not work like that, this is a manifestation of incompetence,” Putin said, commenting on a remark by the anchorman on the US sanctions lists against Iran and North Korea.

On Russia-US relations

Vladimir Putin is disappointed not in his US counterpart Donald Trump, but in the unpredictable system of Russia-US relationship, as he himself said:

“No, I am not disappointed, moreover, he made a very good impression on me on personal level,” Putin said. “I am disappointed not in the partner but in the entire system. One cannot but be disappointed in it as it has proved ineffective and self-destructive. It is hard to deal with such a system because it is unpredictable,” he added.

H.M