Russian military advances in Syria are haunting the West. "Our country has defeated ISIS, thus achieving a goal which no one expected," said Valentina Matviyenko, the Speaker of the Federation Council. She pointed out that the West had underestimated the role of the Russian President.
Valentina Matviyenko, the Speaker of the Federation Council: "The whole operation, from its very start, was managed by Commander in Chief Vladimir Putin. He had enough stamina both to direct the military in Syria and run the process of a political settlement. Let me speak from my heart. To a big extent, it's his personal victory, his personal success. Even our detractors were forced to admit that Putin's visit to Syria, Egypt, and Turkey was a triumph".
Earlier, Donald Trump stated that it was the US military that defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He didn't say a word about Russia and forgot about the other parties. According to Valentina Matviyenko, it was an attempt to benefit from others' gains, and that it is in the habit of the USA to steal victories.
Valentina Matviyenko: "The USA boasts about the fact that Iraq is almost completely demolished, that Libya no longer exists on the map as a country and that these two countries suffer from long-lasting conflicts, civil wars, in fact. We remember the 'military success' in Mosul and other places, which the USA and its coalition boasts about. For me, it's even embarrassing to comment on that. We know who won the war, and the world knows it too”.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the statements of some foreign officials that ISIS was not completely defeated.
Maria Zakharova, MFA spokesperson "Syria is a full subject of international law and a UN member. Concerning the defeat of ISIS in Syria, any attempted justification of any violation of Syria's sovereignty is unacceptable, especially when it is supported by the statement that ISIS has not been defeated in Syria, and even if it has, it occurred thanks to the USA and its coalition".
The Times criticized Russia for the withdrawal of troops. That surprised even the Times' readers because earlier, the newspaper expressed outrage by the presence of the Russian armed forces in Syria. The Russian Embassy in London tweeted back that the Brits might be hard to please: "Russia intervenes to save Syria: bad. Russia pulls out after saving Syria: bad. We are confused!"
