Putin says Russia isn't weakened by Syria setback
Russia had been one of the key backers of Syria's ousted Assad regime


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.
Who said what
"You want to present everything that is happening in Syria as sort of Russia's defeat — rest assured that is not so," Putin told reporters. But Assad's ouster "undermined Russia's prestige and its ambition to be a major power broker in the Middle East," The Wall Street Journal said, and it "tarnishes Putin's image as a reliable global leader" and bulwark against the West.
What next?
Putin offered to negotiate an end to his war with Ukraine, possibly alongside President-elect Donald Trump. But he also boasted it would be "interesting" to stage "a kind of high-tech duel" pitting Russia's new Oreshnik nuclear-capable ballistic missile against Western air defenses at a predetermined target, "for example in Kyiv." "People are dying, and he thinks it's 'interesting,'" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X. "Dumbass."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Crossword: August 27, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
August 27 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include a KKK rebrand, Donald Trump vs. Gavin Newsom, and Ghislaine Maxwell as the new Celebrity Apprentice
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Pomp but little progress at Trump's Ukraine talks
Feature Trump's red carpet welcoming for Putin did little to advance a peace deal with Ukraine
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other cities
speed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'