In
an interview with the Associated Press and Russia's state TV network
Channel 1, the Russian president stressed there is still no “exact
information” about what exactly happened in Syria, or even that chemical
weapons were used at all.
“It’s
still not clear whether chemical weapons or simply some kind of harmful
chemical substances were used,” Putin said. He stressed it was
necessary to await the conclusions of the UN inspection team that was
sent to Syria at the end of last month to investigate the sites of
alleged chemical weapons attacks.
The
Russian president described video footage of dead children allegedly
killed by the chemical attacks as “horrible,” but said the footage did
not provide any answers to his questions about who was responsible. He
claimed the video could have been produced by militants linked to
al-Qaeda, “which has always been noted for its brutality.”
Putin
said if the UN analysis revealed “clear proof” that the Syrian
government was responsible for a chemical weapon attack, Russia “would
be ready to act in the most decisive and serious manner,” but stressed
that military action could only be taken against Damascus following a
joint decision by the UN Security Council.
“Any
other methods to justify use of force against an independent and
sovereign state are unacceptable, and can only be qualified as
aggression,” he said.
Putin also confirmed that Russia has supplied some components for S-300 air defense missile systems to Syria, but has suspended completion of those deliveries.
“If
we see that they [Syria] are taking some steps related to the violation
of existing international standards, then we’ll consider how to act in
the future, including supplying sensitive weapons in certain regions of
the world,” he told the Associated Press.
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