Russia: We Will Consider Military Deployment If Damascus Requests It

The spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that if Damascus requests Moscow to send military forces to continue the war in Syria, Moscow will consider this request. According to the Associated Press, Dmitry Peskov made these remarks on Friday, September 27, in response to comments made by Walid al-Muallem, the Syrian Foreign Minister, who said that Syria would ask for military assistance from Russia if needed. Al-Muallem also denied reports claiming that Russian soldiers are currently fighting alongside Syrian troops in Syria, emphasizing that the Syrian army is currently strong enough to fight alone and that what it seeks from Russia is merely better ammunition and weapons. Nevertheless, the spokesperson for the Russian President stressed that if Damascus requests military deployment from Moscow, this request will be 'discussed and considered.' Recent reports indicate that Russia has provided new ground and air weapons to Damascus for use in the civil war. Al-Muallem also confirmed in his Thursday night interview with Russian state television that Russia has increased the speed of sending these weapons to Syria. Meanwhile, the United States has expressed concern over the increase of Russian military equipment in Syria, viewing it as a move to ensure Bashar al-Assad's survival in power. Moscow has called for the formation of a broad coalition to fight the Islamic State group, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urging Washington and its allies to join the Syrian government in this fight. However, former President Barack Obama had previously emphasized that the only way to end the Syrian war is through unity against the Islamic State group without Bashar al-Assad.