In this photo taken on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hand with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. President Bashar Assad was in Moscow, in his first known trip abroad since the war broke out in Syria in 2011, to meet his strongest ally Russian leader Putin. The two leaders stressed that the military operations in Syria - in which Moscow is the latest and most powerful addition - must lead to a political process. (Alexei Druzhinin, RIA-Novosti, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
In this photo taken on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hand with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. President Bashar Assad was in Moscow, in his first known trip abroad since the war broke out in Syria in 2011, to meet his strongest ally Russian leader Putin. The two leaders stressed that the military operations in Syria – in which Moscow is the latest and most powerful addition – must lead to a political process. (Alexei Druzhinin, RIA-Novosti, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered his military to start the withdrawal of the main part of Russia’s forces from Syria, saying that the Russian military intervention had largely achieved its objectives.
Putin, at a meeting in the Kremlin with his defence and foreign ministers, said the pullout should start from Tuesday. He also ordered that Russia intensify its role in the peace process to end the conflict in Syria.
The Kremlin affirms that Putin had informed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of the Russian decision.
