Kremlin says no scheduled meeting between Putin, Syria’s Assad

There is no meeting scheduled between former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin now the Al-Assad family has been granted asylum in Russia, sources have said.

Earlier on Sunday, Russian state news agency TASS, citing a Kremlin source, reported that Al-Assad and his family arrived in Moscow and were granted asylum for “humanitarian reasons”.

Russia has two strategically important military and naval bases in Syria, where it intervened militarily on Al-Assad’s behalf in 2015, four years after anti-regime forces launched a revolution to oust the Syrian dictator.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is working to contact those who can ensure the security of Russian military bases in Syria, while the Russian military is also taking “all necessary precautions.”

“Now we see a period of transformation and extreme instability. Therefore, it will take time,” he said.

The factions that ousted the regime “have guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions on Syrian territory,” Russian news agencies quoted a Kremlin source as saying on Sunday.

Peskov said Russia was “in dialogue” with Turkiye, which supports armed factions in Syria, adding that “it is important here to maintain dialogue with all countries. We are determined to do this and analyse the situation.”

Al-Assad left Syria on Sunday after his government fell following a lightning offensive by anti-regime forces, which began on 27 November and culminated in the fall of Damascus on 8 December.

The former Syrian leader and members of his family arrived in the Russian capital, Moscow.

His departure brought his 24-year rule and Syria’s 13-year civil war to an end. The war claimed more than 500,000 lives and displaced tens of millions.

READ: Russia strongly backs Syria leadership, says rebels are getting outside help