Since the Syrian civil war began in Syria, Russia has played a strategic role in the unfolding of the crisis to the world.
And few months back Obama and his foreign policy team have been looking for a way to avoid the military response that Obama, himself, threatened a year ago if Bashar al Assad employed chemical weapons against the “rebels” trying to oust him from his seat of absolute power in Syria.
Of course, Obama gave Assad plenty of time to relocate any of his really important war materiel to places not on Obama’s announced target list. Yes, chemical weapons are not selective and civilians become “collateral damage.” Yes, should chemical weapons fall into the hands of the forces opposing Assad, there is the potential for a catastrophic escalation of deaths.
Russia is an ally of Assad so they wouldn’t be supplying the rebels with war making materiel. This means only that the current momentum of the civil war favors Assad.
And then Obama opened his mouth, and as Obama, himself, said, the calculus changed. If America lobbed a hundred or so missiles at Syrian targets, the momentum of the Syrian civil war would change, and not to the benefit of Assad.
And if Assad had a problem, then so did Russia and Putin.
Russia has always wanted a warm water port. If Assad were to lose, and these radicals might eventually control chemical weapons and water port in the region around Syria, is enough to give Russian security forces nightmares. Russia wanted to prevent Assad losing control of Syria, and thus losing both their warm water port and a naval base in the always volatile eastern Mediterranean. They also wanted to prevent wild-eyed Muslim fanatics from taking control of Assad’s stockpile of chemical weapons.
So, Russia came up with an idea that if Syria destroys all its chemical weapons then there will be no chance of radicals getting a hand on chemical weapon. Further, there was another benefit that after the destruction of chemical weapons USA will not be able to attack Syria.
And, Then there will be full chance of victory of Assad's government with no USA and ally interference.
Thus, Putin gave Assad his thoughts about the destruction of Syrian chemical weapon and after quite a few round of discussion it was finally resolved that chemical weapons will be destroyed.
