Putin Endorses U.S. Withdrawal From Syria as Trump Claims Russia is ‘Not Happy About’ It
After President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will pull out troops from Syria, which he claimed Russia is “not happy” about it, Russian President Vladimir Putin applauded the change, saying ISIS has been hit with “serious blows” and has been mostly wiped out.
“On this, Donald is right. I agree with him,” he said of Syria, while speaking to reporters at his a news conference in Moscow.
Putin, who is allied with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in opposing anti-regime forces, went on to question the legitimacy of the U.S. presence there, since neither the installed government nor the United Nations requested American troops in the region.
“If the United States decided to withdraw its force, then this would be right,” he said, while also claiming that U.S. forces impeded Russia’s efforts at a peace resolution.
Putin did not appear to be entirely convinced that Trump will actually withdrawal, reminding reporters of America’s history in Afghanistan: “The United States has been in Afghanistan already for 17 years, and almost every year they say they’re withdrawing their troops.”
As for Trump, he took to Twitter early this morning to claim that Russia and other countries “are not happy about the U.S. leaving” Syria. He blamed reports of the contrary on “fake news,” even though Putin has publicly backed the move.
Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
….Russia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the U.S. leaving, despite what the Fake News says, because now they will have to fight ISIS and others, who they hate, without us. I am building by far the most powerful military in the world. ISIS hits us they are doomed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
[image via Brendan Simalowksi/AFP/Getty]
