The decision to grant asylum in Russia to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family was made by Vladimir Putin.
This was stated by the official representative of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, but he made a reservation.
According to him, the corresponding decision “could have been made” by the Russian leader.
At the same time, as the TASS agency notes , Vladimir Putin’s press secretary did not want to give a clear answer to the question of whether such asylum had actually been provided.
Of course, such decisions cannot be made without the head of state. It is his decision. But, in this case, I have nothing to tell you, - Peskov said.
He separately noted that there were no official statements on this issue, and the information in the media came “from a source.”
And I have nothing to say on this topic now,” the Kremlin representative once again drew the journalists’ attention to this fact.
He responded similarly to a question regarding Assad's current location.
As for potential contacts between Putin and the former head of Syria, Peskov said that “there is no such meeting on the president’s official schedule.”
TASS news agency reminds: earlier, a source in the Kremlin notified about the arrival of Assad and members of his family in Moscow.
According to the source, Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds.
