Spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, welcomed the U.S. decision to withdraw its troops from Syria and said that this step could create a good prospects for a political solution in the war-torn country.
“A milestone story which might evolve from this decision is a real prospect for a political solution,” the Russian news agency TASS quoted Zakharova as saying.
The Russian MoF spokeswoman also said that the withdrawal of U.S. troops revives the hope that northeastern Syria will “follow the example of Aleppo and other Syrian towns and villages which begin getting back to peaceful life.”
Zakharova added: “once Americans were there, there was no such hope.”
Earlier, an official told the Reuters news agency that the time-frame for U.S. troop pullout from Syria is expected to be between 60 to 100 days. The official added that all U.S. State Department personnel are being evacuated from Syria within 24 hours as a first step.
The U.S. decision, which was reportedly taken after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will likely push the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to strengthen its relations with Russia that may become the future backer of the group.
