Syrian President Assad offers support to Putin in Ukraine conflict

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Wednesday offered Russian President Vladimir Putin his support in the conflict in Ukraine.

In a televised meeting with Putin in the Kremlin, Assad said Russia was fighting neo-Nazis and "old Nazis" in Ukraine, according to a Russian translation.

Without offering evidence, Assad said the West had taken in "old Nazis", and was now giving them support.

Kyiv and the West say Russian accusations that Ukraine has become a hotbed of Nazism and "Russophobia" are a baseless pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine.

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight back armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country.

While Russia has concentrated the bulk of its military resources in Ukraine, Moscow has maintained its military foothold in Syria and kept warplanes and troops at its bases there.

Assad thanked Putin for backing Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, noting that the Kremlin's support has remained strong despite the fighting in Ukraine.

"Even though Russia now is also conducting the special operation, its position has remained unchanged," Assad said, using the Kremlin's "special military operation” term for the Russian action in Ukraine and voicing support for Moscow's effort.

After the talks involving senior officials from both countries, Putin also invited Assad for a separate one-on-one encounter. Russian and Syrian defense ministers also met separately to discuss military cooperation.

Moscow has provided robust political support to Assad at the United Nations and actively mediated to help repair his government's ties with regional powers.

Agencies