Bashar al-Assad, had made "many mistakes. Putin

Premature to discuss to embattled We gave asylum to Mr Snowden, it was more difficult than giving it to Assad," he said, referring to fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, granted asylum in Russia in 2013. First one needs to give the Syrian people an opportunity to have their say," Putin said, according to the interview published by the Kremlin. a Russian-language transcript. Putin who launched a bombing campaign in the war-torn country on September 30 appeared to defend Assad, since the conflict broke out in 2011. The unrest would not have escalated so quickly "if from the very beginning it had not been fuelled from abroad — with a huge amount of money, weapons and fighters," Putin acknowledged the Syrian president had made "many mistakes if from the very beginning it had not been fuelled from abroad —with a huge amount of money, weapons and fighters, He added  Assad is not seeking to annihilate his own population. He's fighting those who have come to him with arms,". "And if the peaceful population suffers because of that then I think that it is primarily those who are fighting him with arms in their hands and who are helping the armed groups that are responsible for this."

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