MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The White House warned Russia that supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad will lead to the isolation of both Moscow and Damascus, US National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes said Tuesday.
"With respect to Russia, the principle point that we always made to the Russians is…they are not going to be able to achieve their own objectives unless they engage in a type of process that we're negotiating, there is not a military solution to pacify that entire country. There is not a circumstance in which they continue to support a regime that is bombarding its own people that doesn't lead to greater international isolation of not just the Assad regime but ultimately Russia," Rhodes told a briefing.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, most notably Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries.