Russian President Putin and Syrian President Assad enter a hall during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Reuters)
U.S. slams Russia rolling out ‘red carpet’ for Assad
Assad flew into Moscow for a meeting with Putin during which they discussed their joint military campaign
The White House on Wednesday slammed Russia for its “red carpet” treatment of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who made a rare visit to Moscow to see President Vladimir Putin.
“We view the red carpet welcome for Assad, who has used chemical weapons against his own people, at odds with the stated goal by the Russians for a political transition in Syria,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on Air Force One.
Assad flew into Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two men discussed their joint military campaign against Islamist militants in Syria, a Kremlin spokesman said.
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"The president of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar Assad came on a working visit to Moscow yesterday evening and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin," the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters.
Putin last month received parliamentary approval to launch an air campaign in the war-torn country.