Putin called Assad the main problem of Syria Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow on an unannounced visit, he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin website.

During the meeting, Putin said that pockets of terrorist resistance in Syria remain, but noted that 90% of the country's territory is under the control of the Syrian government.

“The main problem, in my opinion, is that, after all, foreign armed forces are present in certain areas of the country without the decision of the United Nations, without your sanctions, which is clearly contrary to international law,” Putin said.

He added that this hinders the consolidation of the country and its recovery at a faster pace.