Putin says Russia isn't weakened by Syria setback

Russia had been one of the key backers of Syria's ousted Assad regime

Vladimir Putin gives annual end-of-year news conference
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives his annual end-of-year news conference on Dec. 19, 2024
(Image credit: Contributor / Getty Images)

What happened

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia was winning in Ukraine and wasn't "weakened" by the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a key ally. Russia was negotiating with all major groups in Syria to retain its key naval and air bases in the country, Putin said in his marathon end-of-year press conference. But Moscow has been seen transferring a lot of its military equipment from Syria to its other Middle East "military foothold" in eastern Libya, The New York Times said.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.