From: New Voice of Ukraine 🇺🇦
Russia’s abandonment of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to mobilize more resources for the fight against Ukraine clearly shows that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is willing to sacrifice everything for victory in this war, Foreign Affairs wriote on Dec. 26.
“Although Putin tries to portray himself as a realist, he has become consumed with Ukraine, to the exclusion of almost all other foreign policy imperatives,” the publication states.
When Putin deployed troops to Syria, he pursued several objectives, including helping Russia break out of international isolation after its occupation of Crimea. The Russian dictator also aimed to restore Russia’s influence in the Middle East and solidify its role as a global power capable of supporting its allies and preventing the overthrow of friendly governments. Russia’s involvement in Syria also allowed the country to take on the role of “protector” of Christians in the Middle East.
However, now, after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Putin has little to show for this initiative.
The author of the article, senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and visiting fellow at the European University Institute, Alexander Baunov, is confident that Russia will survive the fall of Assad and the possible loss of military bases in the Mediterranean. He says Russians have always been cautious and indifferent to the “Syrian expedition.”
Voice of Ukraine 