Presence of US troops in Syria was illegal: Putin

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday hailed the decision by President Trump to withdraw United States forces from Syria and said the presence of troops there was illegal and were an obstacle in the establishment of peace in the region.

He told this while addressing the 14th annual press conference in Moscow on Thursday, in which a record 1700 journalists were present.

Putin said he agrees to Trump’s analysis that the United States military had achieved its goal of defeating the Islamic State militant group in Syria. He felt that the American troops were no more needed.

It must be noted that Trump’s decision has been criticized, even among Republicans, as abandoning Kurdish allies in the face of a hostile Turkey and a still dangerous Islamic State, as well as leaving Syria open territory for the geopolitical ambitions of Russia and Iran.

The Guardian has quoted Putin as saying, ‘“If the USA made that decision then it’s the right one,” Putin said during a nationally televised press conference on Thursday, repeating complaints that US troop deployments in Syria were illegal because they were not agreed upon with the Assad government. He said he agreed with Trump that a “serious blow” had been struck against Isis, saying: “Donald is right, I agree with him.”