Putin: We will not deploy troops in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, ahead of a meeting on Monday with his American counterpart Barack Obama, that he does not intend to deploy the Russian army in Syria, which is feared by the United States, which wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave power, while Moscow is Assad's ally, reports the Patria News Agency.

The goal of the Russian military presence in Syria is to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the fight against terrorist groups, Putin said in an interview with an American television network recorded before the planned meeting with Obama.

Putin is also scheduled to meet later today with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who also emphasizes that Assad must be part of the coalition in the fight against radical Islamic militants.

-Russia will not participate in any way in operations on the territory of Syria or in other countries: at least for now, we are not planning that, Putin said in an interview with CBS and PBS.

Obama and Putin are expected to meet on Monday after Putin's address to the UN General Assembly, although the White House and the Kremlin disagree on the topics of discussion.

Russian-American relations have fallen to their lowest level since World War II due to Russian interference in neighboring Ukraine.

Moscow believes that the regime in Damascus should be included in the international fight against ISIL, which the US rejects, writes Index.