President Vladimir Putin personally gave asylum to ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his household, the Kremlin said Monday.Such decisions cant be taken without the president.
It was his choice, Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to the state-run TASS news agency.Peskovdeclined to discuss Assads existing location and stated Putin was not set up to meet him at the minute.
As for President Assads location, Ive got nothing to inform you, Peskov told reporters, including: What took place [with Assads falling] has actually surprised the whole world and, in this case, we are no exception.
On Sunday, Russian news agencies cited anonymous Kremlin sources as saying that Assad and his household remained in Moscow after Islamist-led rebels went into Damascus, ending nearly 6 decades of his households rule.Mikhail Ulyanov, Russias envoy to worldwide organizations in Vienna, laterconfirmed the reports.Russia does not betray its good friends in tight spots, Ulyanov wrote on X after midnight Monday.Russia and Iran are Assads essential allies, with the Russian military entering the Syrian civil war in 2015 to help Assad squash the opposition and the Islamic State terrorist group.Russiasaid it was not associated with Assads choice to run away and purchase a serene transfer of power to the rebels.Kremlin representative Peskov said Monday that the future of Russias Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval center would be subject to discussions with Syrias new rulers.Russia hasrequested a closed-door UN Security Council session on Syria for Monday afternoon.The depth and implications of the current advancements in Syria have yet to be understood, Dmitry Polyansky, Russias very first deputy long-term agent to the UN, composed on Telegram.AFP contributed reporting.