WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Removing Syrian President Bashar Assad from power is no longer an option, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday during a press briefing.
"There is not a fundamental option of regime change [in Syria] as there has been in the past," Spicer said.
Spicer said Assad’s government is the current reality in Syria and it is up to the Syrian people to make a change.
"We would look rather silly not acknowledging the political realities that exist in Syria, and now what we need to do…is do what we can to empower the people of Syria to find a different way," he said.
Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front and Daesh, banned in a range of countries, including Russia.
