Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that removed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was given asylum in Russia as he fled a lightning advance by opposition forces, saying the decision was made personally by President Vladimir Putin.
“Of course, such decisions cannot be made without the head of state. It is his [Putin’s] decision,” Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Monday. However, he declined to comment on al-Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Putin was not planning to meet with him.
