Putin makes statement saying Russia does not intend to go to war with any body

As tensions have kept escalating after 34 soldiers were killed in Idlib, Russian President Vladimir Putin is reported to have said, “We have no intention of going to war with anyone.” Putin is also reported to say to TASS news agency that Russia wants to deter other countries from fighting Russia.

Putin said Russia was spending more on the military as defense spending of other countries decreased and they were trying to catch up with Russia. TASS announced that the interview had been made on February 20, but had been released today.

Just to remind, after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in a Syrian army offensive in Idlib, Turkey  had announced it was launching Operation ‘Spring Shield ‘ in northwestern Syria.  On the other hand, the Russian Defense Ministry had announced the previous day that it could not guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft in the area after the Syrian government closed its airspace in Idlib.

Russia has been providing air support to the Syrian army in Idlib. On March 5, Putin and President Erdogan are scheduled to meet in Russia to further discuss the situation on the way to finding a solid solution.