Russia to keep helping Syria if it’s attacked

Mangaloretoday/DHNS

St Petersburg, Sep 6, 2013: President Vladimir Putin says Russia will continue helping Syria even if it comes under attack.

 

Putin, speaking at today’s briefing after the Group of 20 summit, answered with a firm "we will" when asked if Russia will keep providing assistance to Syria if it’s attacked.
He added that Russia has been supplying weapons to Syria and maintaining economic cooperation.

Putin said that Russia intends to increase its humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people after more than two years of hostilities.

Putin and his officials have previously said that Moscow has no intention of engaging in the conflict.

However, Russia has increased its naval presence in the Mediterranean, which the Kremlin’s chief of staff said could help Russia evacuate its citizens from Syria if necessary.


Barack Obama rejects G20 pressure to abandon air strike plan


St Petersberg: US President Barack Obama has resisted pressure Friday to abandon plans for air strikes against Syria and enlisted the support of 10 fellow leaders for a "strong" response to a chemical weapons attack.

Mr Obama refused to blink after Russian President Vladimir Putin led a campaign to talk him out of military intervention at a two-day summit of the Group of Twenty (G20) developed and developing economies in St Petersburg today.

He persuaded 10 other G20 nations to join the United States in signing a statement calling for a strong international response, although it fell short of supporting military strikes, underscoring the deep disagreements that dominated the summit.

Leaders of the G20, which accounts for 90% of the world economy and two thirds of its population, put aside their differences to unite behind a call for growth and jobs and agreed the global economy was on the mend but not out of crisis.

But there was no joint statement on Syria, despite a 20-minute one-on-one talk between Mr Obama and Mr Putin on the sidelines of the summit today, following a tense group discussion on the civil war over dinner late on Thursday.