Russian President Vladimir Putin did not rule out granting political asylum to Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad yesterday.
In an interview with the German daily Bild, Putin said that it would be too early to speak about granting Al-Assad political asylum, but added that Russia had granted asylum to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, “which was far more difficult than to do the same for Mr Assad”.
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“First, the Syrian population has to be able to vote, and then we will see if Assad would have to leave his country if he loses the election,” Putin said.
When asked if he would openly say that Al-Assad is an ally, Putin said that he thought Al-Assad had “done much wrong over the course of this conflict”.
The fighting “would never have escalated to such a degree if it had not been supported from abroad through supplying money, weapons and fighters. Tragically, it is civilians who suffer in such conflicts,” he explained.