Spokesperson Nauert commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russian soldiers will be pulled out of Syria and said, “If Russia chooses to pull out, certainly, that is its choice to do so, but we continue to work through all our partners to try to stabilize the country.”

US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert answered questions about Syria in the daily press briefing.

Nauert said the following on the question about Russian President Putin’s announcement that Russian soldiers will be pulled out of Syria:

“Russia may consider its job in Syria to be done. Our job in Syria is not done. And when I say “our,” I don’t just mean the United States, I mean the entire coalition. There are still pockets of ISIS. The country still needs to be stabilized. (…) If Russia chooses to pull out, certainly, that is its choice to do so, but we continue to work through all our partners to try to stabilize the country.”

Nauert stated that the US remains committed to the Geneva process on Syria and said, “We believe that the future of Syria will not include Bashar al-Assad, but that is ultimately up to the Syrian people and the Syrian voters to decide.”