Putin Said to Explore Sidelining Assad Even as Russia Arms Him
Putin Said to Explore Sidelining Assad Even as Russia Arms Him Sunday September 13 th , 2015 at 7:57 PM 1 Share Russia is sending signals to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia that it may allow Syria’s embattled leader Bashar al-Assad to be eased out of power as it seeks to forge a united front against Islamic State and retain influence in the region, officials and Syrian opposition leaders said. Officials from the three countries, as well as from the opposition, have been negotiating possible terms for sidelining Assad since at least June, when President Vladimir Putin hosted Saudi King Salman’s son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed, they said. Saudi Arabia is Assad’s main regional enemy, while Russia is his longtime ally. Since then, Russia’s whirlwind diplomacy has brought key officials from across the region to Moscow for talks. Syria’s civil war has traumatized the Middle East, spilling into neighbors and enabling the rise of Islamic State amid the turm