The Turkish newspaper Sabah today quotes Turkish President Erdogan as saying that there has been a change in Putin’s attitude toward Assad:
«Putin’s current approach to Syria is much more encouraging than before. He no longer believes that Russia will defend Assad to the end. I believe we can get rid of Assad.»
Erdogan made this statement during a meeting with journalists upon his return from his Asian tour. According to him, he came to this conclusion during his last meeting with Putin in Baku, which took place on June 13, 2015, during the European Games.
Some analysts have long predicted that Putin could «trade» his friend, the bloody butcher Assad, for Ukraine, which he could «give» to the West in return. It’s hard to say whether the West has «traded» Ukraine to Putin in exchange for Assad — some signs, such as the changes to Ukraine’s constitution that Poroshenko is preparing under pressure from the West, point in that direction. However, none of this suggests that Kiev is ready to capitulate to the Kremlin by fully accepting Putin’s plan for the «federalization» of Ukraine.
It should also be noted that Putin’s ability to «abandon» Assad, as discussed by political commentators, may be as exaggerated as the West’s ability to «abandon» Ukraine. Experience shows that if a political party has the will and strength to fight to the end, no one can «abandon» it. Therefore, the change in Putin’s position mentioned by Erdogan may be a case of «putting on a good face while playing a bad game,» as Assad, who has reduced his entire country to rubble and will stop at nothing to maintain his power, is objectively losing ground despite Putin’s support.