Putin says fall of Assad is not a defeat for Russia

Russian leader tells annual press conference he is yet to meet former Syrian leader in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor in Moscow. AP

The fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in Syria should not be viewed as a "defeat" for Russia as the country's intervention there had achieved results over a decade, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Mr Al Assad fled to Moscow earlier in December after his Russia-supported military failed to resist a rebel offensive, leaving the future of Russian bases in Syria in doubt.

His departure ended half a century of rule by the Assad family, coming more than 13 years after his crackdown on democracy protests that precipitated a civil war. Russia, Mr Al Assad's key backer, had swept to his aid in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict.

"You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia," Mr Putin said during his annual end-of-year press conference, addressing the situation in Syria publicly for the first time since Mr Al Assad's fall. "I assure you it is not," he said, responding to a question from an American journalist.

"We came to Syria 10 years ago so that a terrorist enclave would not be created there like in Afghanistan. On the whole, we have achieved our goal," Mr Putin said.

The Kremlin leader said he had yet to meet with Mr Al Assad in Moscow, but planned to do so soon. "I haven't yet seen President Assad since his arrival in Moscow but I plan to, I will definitely speak with him," he said.

He also urged Israel to remove its forces from the "territory of Syria". "We hope that Israel will at some point leave the territory of Syria. But now it is bringing in additional troops," he added.

An electronic billboard on a building shows Russian President Vladimir Putin giving his annual news conference and call-in show in Moscow. AP

Moscow is keen to secure the fate of two military bases there - the Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base, which are Russia's only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union. They have both been key to the Kremlin's activities in Africa and the Middle East.

Mr Putin said there was support for Russia keeping hold of the bases. "We maintain contacts with all those who control the situation there, with all the countries of the region. An overwhelming majority of them say they are interested in our military bases staying there," he said.

He also said Russia had evacuated 4,000 Iranian soldiers from the country at the request from Tehran.

Missile challenge

During the press conference, Mr Putin also suggested a missile "duel'" with the US to demonstrate the capabilities of Moscow's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.

Addressing western scepticism about the Oreshnik, he claimed the missile could defeat any American missile defence system and suggested that both sides select a designated target for the test.

"We're ready for such an experiment," Mr Putin said, adding that Oreshnik is a modern weapon, although it is based on previous Russian design developments.

The question and answer sessions, which typically last more than three hours, are televised live from Moscow. This year's event takes place two days after Ukraine orchestrated the killing of a high-ranking general on the streets of Moscow. Both sides are seeking to gain an advantage before US president-elect Donald Trump, who has called for ceasefire negotiations to begin, enters the White House in January.

Lt Gen Igor Kirillov was killed on Tuesday by a bomb planted in a scooter in Moscow, in the boldest assassination claimed by Kyiv since the start of the conflict. He was the most senior military figure killed by Ukraine in Russia and Mr Putin has not yet publicly commented on the hit.

Speaking about the assassination publicly for the first time, Mr Putin said on Thursday that Russia's special services "are missing these hits". "They missed these hits. It means we need to improve this work. We must not allow such very serious blunders to happen," he said.

Ukraine has been linked to previous attacks in Russia, including the August 2022 car bombing of nationalist Darya Dugina and an explosion in a Saint Petersburg cafe in April 2023 that killed high-profile military correspondent Maxim Fomin, known as Vladlen Tatarsky.

The Russian leader, who has been in power since 2000, said earlier this week that his troops had the upper hand in Ukraine. However, he admitted on Thursday that he could not say when his army would regain full control of Russia's western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a shock offensive in August.

"We will absolutely kick them out. Absolutely. It can't be any other way. But the question of a specific date, I'm sorry, I cannot say right now," he told the televised press conference. He said Russia is "advancing on all directions" in Kursk and situation there is "changing dramatically".

An image of President Vladimir Putin announcing his annual news conference and call-in show is projected on a building in Russia. AP

Mr Putin has described western sanctions imposed in response to its war on Ukraine as a “failure” but analysts have made dim forecasts for Russia's economy in 2025, as Kremlin-aligned media, which normally stays away from addressing social discontent, gives more attention to struggling families.

He told the press conference that the country's economy is stable, although inflation "is a worrying signal". Russia's economy, on a war footing since early 2022, is facing mounting uncertainties, with the price of butter up by a third since the start of the year and a growing labour shortage.

"With the economy as a whole, the situation in Russia is stable, despite external threats and attempts to influence us," Mr Putin said on Thursday. However, acknowledging concerns over the fast pace of price rises, Mr Putin said: "Inflation is a worrying signal."

The press conference also takes place two months before the first anniversary of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny's death in an Arctic prison.