MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that Russia would begin a military withdrawal from Syria, potentially winding down nearly six months of airstrikes that have bolstered Syrian President Bashar Assad and dealt a blow to Syrian rebels.
Putin said late Monday that Russia would withdraw the “main part” of the military deployment to Syria, starting Tuesday.
“I hope that today’s decision will be a good signal for all parties to the conflict,” Putin said in a meeting with top deputies that was broadcast on Russian state television. “I hope that this will considerably increase the level of trust between all parties of the Syrian settlement and will contribute to a peaceful resolution of the Syrian issue.”
Putin said Russia would keep open both Russian air force and naval bases in Syria, but he said the task of the Russian intervention has been achieved and that diplomacy should now take over.
A shaky cease-fire has quelled fighting in Syria, although it has not fully stopped.
The surprise announcement came as U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura reconvened peace talks between the Assad government and the opposition in Geneva on Monday. The decision appeared at least in part to have the effect of increasing pressure on Assad to reach a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.
President Barack Obama spoke later Monday with Putin about the Russian leader’s decision and discussed “next steps” in upholding the fragile truce that has quieted the country’s civil war, the White House said.
In a statement about the phone call, the White House said Obama told Putin he welcomed the “much-needed reduction in violence.” But the president also noted that the Syrian regime’s continued “offensive actions” threaten to break the cease-fire that took effect late last month and could undermine plans for a United Nations-led political process.
“The president underscored that a political transition is required to end the violence in Syria,” the White House said.
The Kremlin said Putin spoke to Assad by telephone Monday to inform him of his decision. Putin made the decision unilaterally, without any such request from Assad, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said — a pointed message that suggested Putin is trying to signal that its backing for Syria is not unlimited.
“The leaders noted that the action of the air force of Russia had radically changed the situation in the fight against terrorism, disrupting the fighters’ infrastructure and inflicting significant damage,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that during the Russian airstrike campaign, Syrian forces had been able to recapture 400 populated areas over nearly 4,000 square miles.
The Russian intervention turned the course of the conflict after Assad appeared weakened and on the verge of defeat during the summer. By February, the Syrian army was surging forward and had nearly encircled the rebel bastion of Aleppo.
The Obama administration had become increasingly frustrated in recent days over what it saw as Russia’s inability or unwillingness to press Syrian government forces to adhere to the cease-fire.
Officials cited an overall decrease in violence of 80 percent to 90 percent, including a virtual halt to Russian airstrikes in opposition areas. To the extent that military operations are continuing, officials said, nearly all have been conducted by the Syrian military and its Iranian and Hezbollah allies.
Late last week, the administration decided to accuse Moscow publicly of failing to rein in Assad, leading to comments by officials that culminated in a call by Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday for Putin to take control of Russia’s Syrian ally.
Putin’s announcement appeared to take the administration by surprise. Asked during Monday’s regular State Department briefing about the news from Russia, spokesman John Kirby said it was the first he had heard of the announcement.
The Obama administration has at times complained of a gap between Russia’s rhetoric and its actions on the ground in Syria, and it was not clear on which side of the field Monday’s announcement would fall.
Putin said at the end of September that the Russian intervention would focus on combating the Islamic State. The Obama administration soon said that the bulk of the airstrikes were being conducted against other rebel forces battling Assad.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
