Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday spoke by phone with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, congratulating him on his forces retaking Palmyra, the Kremlin said.
“In a conversation with the Syrian president, Vladimir Putin congratulated his colleague on Syrian forces liberating the city of Palmyra from terrorists, noting the importance of preserving this unique historic city for world culture,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by RIA Novosti state news agency.
According to Russia’s Interfax news agency, the Kremlin spokesman said Assad told Putin that Palmyra’s recapture would have been impossible without Russia’s help.
Syrian government forces on Sunday retook all of the ancient central city of Palmyra from ISIS, opening up a path into the militant group's eastern heartlands of Raqqa and Deir Azzor.
