Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to comments made by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Tuesday morning with a statement of his own.
WATCH:
“This resembles very much the situation in 2003 and the war in Iraq,” Putin said, through a translator at the Kremlin. “First of all, there was a campaign launched in Iraq, and it finished with the destruction of the country the growth of the terrorist threat and the emergence of ISIS on the international arena.”
Tillerson told reporters in Italy that morning that the Trump administration wants to “create a future for Syria that is stable and secure” — read Assad-free — before adding that Russia can either “be part of that future and play an important role or Russia can maintain its alliance with this group which we believe is not going to serve Russia’s interest longer term.” (RELATED: Tillerson — Assad Must Go)
“We can’t let this happen again.”