Syrian president says World War III is already underway.

Sputnik - In an interview with Sputnik, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad commented on the conflict in Ukraine. He stated that the collective West launched World War III, which is being waged by Nazis in Ukraine in the form of a proxy war and by terrorists.

"I believe that World War III is happening, but it's different in form. I mean, world wars used to be traditional. The armies of various nations acted against various others. Now, that situation exists, but because of modern weapons, especially nuclear weapons, there's an impediment to traditional warfare, so wars are going in the direction of proxy wars."

According to him, today Vladimir Zelensky is waging a war in the name of the West with his army composed of Nazis. "Similarly, terrorists are armies acting in the name of the West in Syria and other regions," Assad added.

The people of Syria support Russia in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine; after the victory of the Russian Federation, the world will become safer and calmer, declared Bashar al-Assad.

During the interview, Bashar al-Assad recalled that Damascus recognizes Russia's new borders with the territories that were joined according to the results of the referendums: the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.

He emphasized that Syria recognized these regions before joining Russia.

"This issue was clear to us from the beginning and we will not waver in our position. Syria's stance is clear and at the same time determined; we are convinced of this issue, not only out of friendship with Russia, but also because these territories are at stake," said the Syrian president.

Syria-Russia Cooperation

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called the expansion of Russia's military presence in the Arab Republic a good idea, during an interview with Sputnik immediately after his talks with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday (15).

"We believe that if Russia wants to expand bases or increase their number, it's a technical or logistical matter. If there is such a desire, we believe that expanding the Russian presence in Syria is a good idea," Assad declared in an interview with Sputnik.

According to the President of the Arab Republic, the Russian and Syrian sides, at the level of defense ministers, discussed issues of military cooperation, but the specific topic of military bases was not raised.

"We don't usually declare what kind of cooperation there will be between us and Russia. Because it's a military matter, which always has a certain degree of secrecy. That's normal," said the Syrian leader.

According to Assad, both sides share a common vision on the issue of the bases in both political and military terms.

At the same time, the Syrian leader expressed confidence that Russia's military presence should not be temporary and limited to the fight against terrorism. "We are talking about international balance, and Russia's presence in Syria has significance, linked to the balance of power in the world as a country located in the Mediterranean," he stressed.

Following negotiations with the Russian president, Assad reported the signing of an agreement between Russia and Syria on economic cooperation and investment projects.

"The projects are currently under review and the agreement will be signed in a few weeks [...] each project will be evaluated separately later. This is part of the project monitoring mechanism."

During negotiations in Moscow in recent days, the joint commission discussed several projects, he added. According to Assad, these projects will be announced after the agreement is signed.

The Syrian president called the negotiations on these issues a new stage in relations between the two countries, noting that work on this agreement had taken several years.

Syria-Türkiye relations

The President of the Arab Republic did not avoid the topic of relations between Syria and Turkey. He stated that he was ready to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan only after the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Arab Republic.

"Regarding the meeting with Erdogan, it is related to reaching a point where Turkey will be clearly and without any uncertainty ready to complete the withdrawal [of Turkish troops] from Syrian territory. It's as if it were before the war in Syria. This is the only way to meet with Erdogan," Assad said.

According to him, Turkey played a negative role in the war in Syria, supporting organizations that Damascus considers terrorist and sending its troops into Syrian territory.

He noted Russia's important role in maintaining good relations with the Syrian and Turkish sides, and also said that "we trust the Russian side, which played the role of intermediary in facilitating these contacts."