MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denied allegations that Russia betrayed Syria and stated that what happened in that country was its domestic affair.
"We were told that he had ‘betrayed’ Syria. But we never betrayed anyone. What happened there is Syria’s domestic affair. We have smooth, stable relations with the new authorities. I want to see an example of when Russia allegedly let anyone down," he said in an interview with Iran’s State Television and Radio corporation.
Armed opposition units in Syria launched a large-scale offensive on government troops in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates in late November 2024. On December 8, they entered Damascus, while President Bashar Assad stepped down and fled the country. Leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (outlawed in Russia) Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria’s de facto new leader. On January 29, 2025, he proclaimed himself acting president for the interim period, which, according to him, will last from four to five years.