Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the presence of foreign forces in Syria and praised the "considerable damage" done to terrorist groups, receiving Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Russia, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday, September 14.

In this rare one-on-one meeting between the two men, which took place on Monday, Putin estimated that "terrorists have suffered considerable damage" in Syria, where government forces control " 90% of the territory ". Putin, however, believed, according to a Kremlin statement issued on Tuesday, that Syria's "main problem" is foreign interference on its soil.