Kremlin plays down blow to Russia from Assad's fall

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday played down the damage to Russian influence in the Middle East from the fall of Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad, saying that its focus was Ukraine and that Moscow was in contact with the new rulers of Syria.

When Russia intervened in the Syrian Civil War in 2015, it helped tip the balance in Assad's favour, so his fall from power dealt a serious setback to both Russia, which is fighting a major land war in Ukraine, and to Iran, which is battling U.S.-backed Israel across the Middle East.

"You know, of course, that we are in contact with those who are currently in control of the situation in Syria," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Asked how much the fall of Assad had weakened Russia's influence in the region, Peskov said that Moscow maintained contacts with all countries in the region and would continue to do so.

Moscow's priority, Peskov said, was the war in Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin calls a "special military operation".

"The special military operation is the absolute priority for our country: we must ensure the interests of our security, the interests of our Russian people, and we shall do so," Peskov said.

Moscow has supported Syria since the early days of the Cold War, recognising its independence in 1944 as Damascus sought to throw off French colonial rule. The West saw Syria as a Soviet satellite.



(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Osborn)