President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was not planning to withdraw its forces from Syria for now, and would keep them there for as long as it was in Russia’s interest, Reuters reports.
“We are not yet planning a withdrawal of these military forces,” Putin told a televised call-in.
“We are not building long-term facilities there and if needed we could fairly quickly withdraw our troops without material losses,” he said.
“But for the moment, we need them there, they are carrying out important tasks, including providing security for Russia in the region, and helping our interests in the economic sphere.”