The negotiations about S-300 air defence system deliveries to Syria are put on hold, Russian newspaper “Izvestiya” reported on 11 May referring to an Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on military-technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin.
“At the moment there are no has been no talk of deliveries of modern new military systems (air defense – Izvestia),” Vladimir Kozhin told Izvestia, answering the question about the transfer of the S-300 system to Syria.
The Syrian armed forces have everything they need, ” also noted Vladimir Kozhin.
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Only a few days previously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would consider supplying its S-300 missile defense system to Syria. He told the BBC in an interview that the recent US-led airstrikes on Syrian military targets had led to Moscow to mull a reversal in its policy. A few years ago at the request of our partners, we decided not to supply S-300s to Syria,” he said.
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Asked by the interviewer to clarify his position and confirm that Moscow would indeed consider supplying the S-300 to Syria despite the fact that Israel would be “gravely concerned” by such a move, Lavrov responded: “Whatever is required to help the Syrian army to deter aggression, we would be ready to consider.”
But after the visit of the President of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to Moscow, Russia decided to reconsider its decision on the supply of S-300 to Syria.