Russian President Vladimir Putin met Bashar al-Assad in the Kremlin as Moscow nudges the Syrian leader towards a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Damascus seeks the Kremlin’s help in restraining Israel, Reuters reported.
At a meeting in the Kremlin, Assad said that he wanted to discuss global and regional events with Putin, including scenarios for the future.
The Kremlin said the meeting took place on Wednesday.
Russia has been trying to facilitate a meeting between Assad and Turkey’s Erdogan. Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels looking to oust Assad. The Syrian leader views the rebels as terrorists.
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