Syrian Opposition Leader Says 'No Solution' to Crisis Without Russia

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – The Syrian National Coalition would like to engage Russia in the political settlement process in Syria because there can be no resolution to the country’s crisis without Moscow’s involvement, Syrian National Coalition special representative to the United States Najib Ghadbian told Sputnik.

"We would like to engage Russia and we think that Russia is a major player and there’s no solution without Russia in Syria and we know that," Ghadbian said on Monday.

Ghadbian added that the Syrian National Coalition opposes Russian military supplies to the Syrian government.

Ghadbian also told Sputnik that the Syrian National Coalition had to negotiate with President Bashar Assad even though it did not see a role for him in the country’s political future.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with the country’s government fighting against numerous opposition factions and militant groups.

Russia supports the Syrian government, and has been sending weapons to Assad’s government to assist it in its fight against terrorism.

Moscow has also hosted two rounds of talks between the Syrian authorities and opposition factions this year.