Strongman to discuss Syria peace in Astana; national cease-fire likely
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had agreed to attend peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana to try to resolve the conflict in Syria.
Putin said the evacuation of Aleppo would not have been possible without the help of Russia, Iran and Turkey or the goodwill of Assad. He said the next step for Syria would be a nationwide cease-fire.
Putin made the remarks at his end-of-year news conference on Friday, during which he responded to media’s questions ranging from Aleppo and Russia’s economy to the country’s diplomatic policies, especially on the Russian-US ties.
The Syrian army said late Thursday that it had retaken full control of Aleppo, scoring its biggest victory against opposition forces since the civil war erupted in 2011.
“The liberation of Aleppo from radical elements is a very important part of the normalization in Syria, and I hope, for the region overall,” Putin told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a meeting, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin revealed Friday that Putin had signed an order to expand Russia’s naval facility in the Syrian city of Tartus and allow Russian warships into Syrian waters.
Russia’s defense ministry said in October that Moscow was poised to transform the Tartus facility into a permanent base, without providing a time line for its transformation.
The Russian president also mentioned the latest assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey during the conference, saying that the murder of Andrei Karlov was an attempt to spoil relations between Moscow and Ankara and the tragedy will not derail Russia’s relations with Ankara.
Mutual praise
The US and its President-elect Donald Trump were mentioned frequently during the conference.
Putin praised Trump for tapping into the public mood in the US to claim his surprise win in the elections.
“He went to the end, though nobody believed that he would win except us,” Putin said.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have hit their lowest point since the Cold War under President Barack Obama due to reasons related to the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s military intervention in Syria.
But the election of Trump, who praised Putin as a strong leader, has provided a surprise fillip for the Kremlin, with the Russian economy still struggling due to Western sanctions and lower oil prices.
Officials in the US have accused Russia of cyber attacks aimed at interfering with the US vote, with some alleging Moscow sought to tip the balance in favor of Trump.
The US presidential election system is archaic and that is a problem, Putin said, adding that the US Democratic Party was wrongly trying to blame its electoral defeat to Donald Trump on external factors.
Speaking at an annual end-of-year news conference, Putin said that the party needed to learn how to lose gracefully.
Putin also said on Friday he needed time to decide whether he would run for another presidential term at the next election in 2018.
“I will look at what’s going on in the country, in the world,” said Putin. The next presidential election is due to take place in March 2018.