President Putin admitted that the Russian military is helping Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin officially acknowledged that Russia provided logistical support, sold weapons, and offered training to help the Syrian government's military "fight terrorism and extremism."

Russian President Vladimir Putin - Photo: Telegraph

According to the Telegraph on September 4th, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Putin as saying, when asked about Russian military intervention in Syria at an economic forum in Vladivostok: "It's too early to talk about that, but we are considering various possibilities."

"We have provided Syria with a lot of equipment and trained its soldiers with our weapons," the Russian president publicly acknowledged Russia's role in Syria for the first time.

The Russian president said that while it was too early, he "could not rule out the possibility of direct military intervention in Syria."

"We really want to create some kind of international coalition to fight terrorism and extremism," Putin explained regarding his support for the Syrian government.

Putin also said that Russia “has consulted with the US” on this matter and that he “personally raised the issue with President Obama.”

Photos circulating on social media suggest that Russian troops are present in Syria to "fight ISIS."

Russia has repeatedly used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the four-and-a-half-year civil war in the country, which has killed approximately 250,000 people.

Russia is also a close arms supplier to the Syrian government, particularly in recent months increasing deliveries of modern weapons, replacing equipment, and providing military training for Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Even recent reports from Western diplomatic sources have suggested that Russia may soon deploy "thousands of troops" to Syria to establish an air base to fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

From the US, the Pentagon said it is "closely monitoring" reports that Russia is deploying troops and aircraft to Syria.

When asked about the possibility of Russia joining the international coalition against IS, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that the U.S. is "open to other countries (like Russia) to join."

(According to TTO)