Moscow is seeking to secure the future of its key military bases in Syria while making inroads with the country’s new rebel leadership, after the dramatic collapse of the Assad regime threatened to erode Russia’s influence in the Middle East.
Russia has kept a sizeable airbase in north-west Syria and a naval facility at the Mediterranean port of Tartus since Moscow’s military intervention helped President Bashar al-Assad reclaim most of the country after nationwide protests that began in 2011.
After the collapse of Assad, the Kremlin’s staunchest ally in the Middle East who has fled to Moscow, Russia appears to be turning to diplomacy to preserve its influence in Syria, engaging in a flurry of activity with the rebels it had labelled as terrorists only days earlier.
What is Arabic for "GTFO"?
But we shall see. And maybe this is why Putin's Boy in D.C. said that he wants to take a hands-off approach to the new government in Syria.
You can be sure that a sizable donation has been made to the new owners of those bases, with the promise of continuing payments. They aren't going to let the Ruskys back in for free after all. Sanctions or not, Mother Russia always has funds for new regimes.
ReplyDeletew3ski