Putin says Assad is ready to share power with Syria's opposition

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready to share power with the opposition. “We know of President Assad’s readiness to involve in the process, in ruling the state, part of the opposition—the healthy part of the opposition,” stated Putin at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a post-Soviet intergovernmental military alliance.

Putin emphasized that Russia supports the Syrian government. He promised to continue providing military and technical aid to Syria. The Russian President said it will be impossible to defeat the Islamic State without sustained efforts from the Syrian army.

“Russia, as you know, has proposed without delay to form a wide coalition to counter extremism. [The coalition] should unite everyone who is ready to contribute or is already contributing to the fight against terror,” said Putin.

On September 14, Bloomberg reported that Russia is currently leading talks on removing Assad from power. Bloomberg cited sources in Russia, the US, and Saudi Arabia and reported that the talks are dedicated to a transition period, during which Assad will remain the temporary head of state. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia does not get involved in “regime change,” and the reports are mere speculation.

Various media sources have been reporting on Russia’s growing military presence in Syria since early September. Russia has claimed that the military cooperation with Syria is legal and in line with contracts for weapons supplies. Russian authorities have said that there are no Russian soldiers participating in the fighting in Syria.

In mid-September, Stratfor published satellite images showing construction at Assad International Airport near Latakia in Syria. Moscow announced on September 15 that Russia is participating in the construction because the airport’s airstrip is in such poor condition that it is impeding necessary military operations in the country. According to a military source speaking with Russian newspaper Vedomosti, these operations include delivering humanitarian aid and weapons purchased by Syria. The source also said that Russian soldiers are guarding the airstrip and the delivery of goods, but are not participating in any fighting in the country.

For more on what we know and don’t know about Russia’s role in the Syrian civil war, see Russian troops in Syria What we know and don’t know about the Russian military’s role in the Syrian civil war