Vladimir Putin’s decision to pull Russian troops out of Syria hit the headlines around the world. But it should have been expected. Official statements said from the beginning that the operation would last only a limited time, that there would be no permanent extensive military presence, that the purpose was not to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime but to save the country’s statehood and that the future would have to be determined by the Syrian people through political talks. What they said then is actually happening.
俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔•普京(Vladimir Putin)从叙利亚撤军的决定登上了世界各地的新闻头条。但这一决定本应在预料之中。俄罗斯官方声明从一开始就表示,此番军事行动只会持续有限时间,俄军不会在叙利亚建立永久、广泛的军事存在,其目的并非要支持巴沙尔•阿萨德(Bashar al-Assad)政权,而是为了维护叙利亚的国家地位,这个国家的未来须由其人民通过政治谈判决定。他们当时所说的话现在真的在兑现。