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Kremlin analyzing evolution of Washington’s statements on US troop pullout from Syria

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov Vitaliy Nevar/TASS

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Vitaliy Nevar/TASS

MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/. Moscow is closely following and analyzing the evolution of Washington’s stance on the potential withdrawal of US troops from Syria and believes that the situation is unclear for the time being, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday, commenting on reports saying that the US may leave a peacekeeping force of 200 troops in Syria.

"We do not understand at the moment what it is all about," the Kremlin spokesman said.

CONFLICT IN SYRIA

According to Peskov, Washington first said something different, but later new statements could be heard. "Sometimes we hear different statements from different agencies [in Washington - TASS], so we are watching with great interest and attention the evolution of the United States’ stance on the issue and analyzing all these statements," Peskov stressed.

On Friday, Reuters reported, citing a statement by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, that the United States would leave "a small peacekeeping group" of 200 American troops "for a period after a US pullout."

On December 19, 2018, US President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal of US troops from Syria. He noted that the United States had succeeded in its mission to defeat the Islamic State (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia) and that it was time to bring American troops home. About 2,000 US troops are currently deployed to Syria. US officials earlier said the pullout could take from 60 to 100 days.

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