Addis Ababa, June 7, 2018 (FBC) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is currently not planning to withdraw all of its troops from Syria.

Russia launched its operation in Syria in 2015, tipping the war in favor of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Putin last December announced a scale-down of the Russian military presence there.
Speaking during his annual call-in show on Thursday, Putin said Russia "is not planning to withdraw all of its troops at this point" and that they will stay in Syria "as long as it benefits Russia."
Moscow has sent an undisclosed number of military advisers, pilots, technical staff and military police to Syria.
Putin stressed that Russia's air base at Hemeimeem and the naval base in Tartous, which he said are important for helping the Syrian government, do not host any permanent facilities, which means the Russian military can be withdrawn quickly if necessary.
He further said it is a "joke" to suggest that the Kremlin may have interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to favor Donald Trump.
Asked about the best joke he heard recently, Putin said it was something he read in German media about Trump "pushing Europe into Putin's hands."
Putin also recalled reports of Russia's interference in the U.S. elections, saying that if the two statements were combined, it would be "funny."
Putin said both allegations are "complete nonsense and can only be called a joke."
Source: AP
Posted by Amare Asrat