"Israel" is the main beneficiary of the collapse of the Syrian regime, previously led by Bashar al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, condemning ongoing Israeli incursions and the occupation of Syrian territories. 

Although Putin "hoped" the occupation would withdraw its troops from Syria, he noted that it was deploying more forces, showcasing doubts regarding its alleged plans to retreat from the established buffer zone. 

Further addressing the situation in Syria, Putin refuted all claims of "Russia's defeat in Syria," revealing that Moscow has been in contact with the new leadership to discuss the future of operations of its military bases in the Arab country. 

The future of Russia in Syria

Regarding former President Bashar al-Assad, Putin said he has not met with him following his arrival to Moscow earlier this month but announced an upcoming meeting aimed at discussing several issues, including the whereabouts of US journalist Austin Tice, who went missing and was presumed to be arrested by the regime. 

He further stated that most Syrians Russia had engaged with about the future of its two major military bases in the country supported their continued presence, though discussions were still ongoing.

Russia, which intervened in Syria in 2015 and shifted the course of the civil war in Assad's favor, had also offered its airbase and naval base to other nations to bring in humanitarian aid to Syria, according to Putin.

Addressing criticisms of Russia's involvement, Putin remarked, "You want to portray everything that is happening in Syria as some kind of failure, a defeat for Russia. I assure you, it is not. And I'll tell you why. We came to Syria 10 years ago to prevent a terrorist enclave from being created there."

"Overall, we have achieved our goal. It's no coincidence that today many European countries and the US are seeking to establish relations with Syria's new rulers. If they were truly terrorist organizations, why would you (the West) be going there? That shows they've changed." 

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On Oreshnik and the 'missile duel'

The Russian leader also discussed developments in the Ukrainian arena, including the long-range missile race, particularly with the United States following the deployment of ATACMs against Russian territories. 

He proposed a missile "duel" with the United States to demonstrate how Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile could bypass and defeat any US missile defense system. Responding to Western doubts about the missile, Putin suggested that both sides select a target to be protected by US missiles for the experiment.

He also described the Oreshnik as a modern weapon, though he acknowledged it was based on prior Russian missile designs. 

On a possible 'compromise' in Ukraine

The fighting in Ukraine, which began in 2022 and now nears its three-year mark, was "complex... making it difficult and pointless to guess what lies ahead... (but) we are moving towards solving our primary tasks, which we outlined at the beginning of the special military operation," Putin said amid talks of a potential truce and a political compromise with Donald Trump to end the war.

When asked about what he could offer Trump, Putin rejected the idea that Russia was in a weak position, claiming the country had grown stronger since the 2022 conflict. He reiterated that Russia had always been open to negotiations and compromises, adding that the Ukrainian forces willing to fight would soon dwindle. Putin emphasized that both sides needed to be ready for negotiations.

He further expanded on the matter, saying Russia had no preconditions for initiating talks with Ukraine on a potential peace settlement.

He suggested that a preliminary agreement reached early in the war between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul, which was never implemented, could serve as a foundation for future discussions. Putin emphasized that the current situation on the battlefield should also be considered in any negotiations.

He added that, if a deal were reached, Moscow would only sign it with the legitimate authorities of Ukraine. While Russia was open to negotiating with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin clarified that Zelensky would need to be re-elected for Moscow to view him as a legitimate signatory to any agreement.

On Ukrainian 'terrorism'

President Vladimir Putin also accused Ukraine of repeatedly committing acts of terrorism against Russian citizens, in reference to the recent assassination of a high-profile Russian general in Moscow.

Lieutenant General Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed outside his apartment building on Tuesday, along with his assistant, when a bomb attached to an electric scooter exploded.

Putin described the murder as particularly dangerous to the lives of many and stated that the Kyiv regime had repeatedly carried out terrorist attacks against Russian citizens. On Wednesday, Russia announced the arrest of an Uzbek man who allegedly confessed to planting the bomb that killed Kirillov, claiming he did so on the orders of Ukraine's SBU security service.

Read more: Putin hails military advances, sets new goals for op. in Ukraine