The White House is concerned about reports that Russia is moving more military equipment to Syria. “We’ve been concerned about reports of Russia moving materiel into Syria,” Deputy National Security Adviser to President Barack Obama, Ben Rhodes, said at a press briefing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Obama was at a summit with Gulf Arab leaders. “We think it would be negative for Russia to move additional military equipment or personnel into Syria. We believe that our efforts are best focused on supporting the diplomatic process,” Rhodes added. Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia has maintained a “considerable” military presence in Syria.
“Despite the announced partial withdrawal we see that Russia maintains a considerable military presence in support of the Assad regime in Syria,” he said at a press conference in Turkey.