Putin agrees with Defense Ministry's proposal to reduce Russian military presence in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with the Defense Ministry’s proposal to reduce the military presence in Syria, TASS reported.
At a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Putin said, "I agree with the Defense Ministry’s idea to cut our military presence in the Syrian Republic.”
Putin added that Russia will, "unconditionally continue the struggle against international terrorism and furnish support for the legitimate Syrian government in its struggle with terrorism."
"It goes without saying that we will stand by the agreements that have been achieved, including the development of the Russian military logistic facilities in Tartus and at the Hmeymim airbase," he added.
In March, Putin announced that the “main part” of Russia’s forces from Syria would be withdrawn. Despite the announcement, Russia’s operations in the Middle East continued unabated.